From The Ashes
by HeatherRed
Summary: Trapped in Middle Earth, a woman is desperately trying to find a way to get back to her world. After healing a Dwarf, she finds a link between his homeland and the key to get back home and joins them on his quest to reclaim his homeland. But more is at stake than it seems and secrets will test the boundaries of friendship. What is she willing to sacrifice for the Greater Good?
1. Prologue: The Steadfast Rock

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit nor do I own any of the characters in the Hobbit. I also do not own America or any other country. I will be using both the book and the movies in the story (again, I do not own these) and I will use some artistic license because some stories need a little embellishment (as Gandalf says).

There are a few OC characters and this story is **T-rated** for a reason. **This story has mentions of abuse, suicide, mental health issues (anxiety, depression and PTSD) and sexual assault. Please don't read it if this makes you uncomfortable. **

Reviews appreciated .

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><p><strong>From The Ashes<strong>

**Prologue: The Steadfast Rock**

"**No coward soul is mine/ no trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:/ I see Heaven's glories shine/and faith shines equal, arming me from fear"- Last Lines, Emily Bronte**

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><p>The Hall of Prayer was empty tonight apart from one Dwarf.<p>

The torches were burning low, their light glinting off the smooth grey-green marble stone, catching and illuminating the intricately-carved gold inscriptions of runes and patterns and the jewels on the walls.

A giant lone statue of Mahal, the Smith, Stone Father and Creator of Dwarves, stood proudly at the end of the hall and the Dwarf walked towards it with bare feet, passing the marble pews where the Dwarves would listen to the Word of Mahal. To the Dwarf's left, there was a large room with special prayer mats for expecting parents or warriors so they could pray for protection. To his right, there was another room where Dwarves can confess to a priest of Mahal of any crime they have done, though it was extremely rare that their crime was extreme. Most of the time, it was petty crimes, such as stealing.

Of course, most Dwarves in Ered Luin have stolen something in their lifetime because it was only in the last 100 years that Durin's Folk managed to sustain a comfortable life in Ered Luin but most Dwarves were uncomfortable with taking something that was not theirs. It brought back memories of their home in Erebor being taken from them and the Dwarves preferred being able to look after themselves and saw stealing as a sign of desperation and a cry for help.

As the Dwarf made his way to the statue of his Creator, he paused briefly to wash his hands and feet before walking up the steps before the statue.

The statue was breathtaking. It depicted Mahal, holding a hammer in his left hand, an axe in his right and an anvil in front of him. The statue was made of axestone, a rare green stone that symbolised Mahal's marriage to the Earth Mother, Yavanna.

The Dwarves of Ered Luin did not worship the Earth Mother, a fact that disturbed the refugees of Erebor. As the wife of their Creator, She was considered holy and the Dwarrowdams of Erebor would pray to Her for when they were expecting a baby. Here in Ered Luin, there was no statue so they would create a shrine in their houses whilst expecting and it would remain there until the child came of age. The Dwarf called out:

"Abbad!" _I am here!_

The Dwarf knelt before the statue. His clothing was simple, a blue tunic with silver embroidery and dark trousers. His beard was short and boxed; his hair was wavy and brown, though a few silver streaks ran through it. He was not old, by Dwarven standards, only middle-aged. The silver streaks were caused by trauma and this Dwarf had seen much of it.

His name was Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, his Grandfather who had been the last King Under The Mountain. But Erebor, Thorin's beloved childhood home, was lost to a dragon, Smaug. And now Thorin was King of Durin's Folk with his Grandfather dead and his Father presumed dead. Thrain had not been seen in many years and though there have been reported sightings, Thorin had gone looking for him and found nothing.

Hands clasped together in his lap, Thorin prayed, a simple but passionate prayer, for the time had come to reclaim his homeland and slay the Great Wyrm.

"Oh Mahal, Father of Stone, may You smile down upon me. I seek to reclaim my homeland, Erebor, from the dragon. You led my people to the Lonely Mountain and I ask that You help me lead my people back. Please give me the strength to lead my comrades and brothers-in-arms to victory and my people to salvation. Please give me wisdom to make the right decisions and lead my people on a good path to see that this quest ends well. Please give me hope that I will be successful and that I will reclaim the treasure of my people, their creations."

It should be noted that creation is a very sacred rite for Dwarves for not only did their Father create them in an attempt to mimic His own Creator, but for their entire purpose for being was so their Father had someone who He could teach to create and build. Of course, most races assume Dwarves were greedy because of their hoarding of their treasures but, although Dwarves do collect treasure, it is usually not done out of greed but in admiration of the creation of objects. Most Dwarves are quite willing to share or trade with their treasure (being the reasonable folk that they are). Only a few Dwarves, like Thorin's grandfather, who hoard massive amounts of treasure without sharing or trading that, are considered greedy. The Line of Durin had a strange illness that ran through their family, the Dragon Sickness, which made them greedy, and craving gold and jewel. During this, it was impossible to reason with them, for their mind made them believe them superior to all, like dragons.

"Please give my nephews, my company and I protection so we can see this done, so we can return to the home that You gave us. Please give my nephews and I protection from the Dragon Sickness, so if we succeed, we will not fail our people. Please grant us happy fortune so our path can be full of joy, success and luck."

At the end of his requests, he pulled out from his tunic pocket a small silver statue, no bigger than his pinkie, of Mahal holding his hammer. There were small diamonds and sapphires on the hammer and sapphires where Mahal's eyes were. The detail was exquisite, the jewels cut beautifully. But because it was not gold, it was considered a meagre offering. Only offerings made out of metal could be made to Mahal, the Father of Stone, for He ruled over jewels and metals. Offerings were only made by those going into danger, such as war, for it may be their last creation and if they did not come back, the offering was given back to the family as it was said to have Mahal's blessings upon it and would bring the family good fortune. If there was no family, then it would remain in the Halls of Prayer as a testament to the Dwarf's bravery.

"Father, I understand that this is not much, in comparison to what You can make, but I have no gold here in the Blue Mountains, nor will my skill at silver-smithing ever equal to Yours, so I am afraid that this is all I can offer You. Oh Mahal, please accept my offering."

He placed the small silver statue at the foot of the axestone statue. Tomorrow the priest would find it and take it away to another room, where offerings were kept.

"Until my death will I create and until my death will I serve my people. Until death will I protect my home and until death will I serve my Father." He closed his eyes as he bowed his head one more time to end his prayer.

"Ukarat." _Greatest Glory._

A slight breeze filled the Hall of Prayer and Thorin's hair blew slightly back as the breeze gently caressed his face. Thorin was filled with the sensation of peace and something warm grew in his chest. Before he opened his eyes, he was pierced with the vision of gentle brown eyes looking into his own.

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><p>In another world, a red car shuddered to a stop in a space at a car park.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: She is Far from the Land

**From The Ashes**

**Chapter 1: She is Far from the Land**

"**She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps"- She is Far from the Land, Thomas Moore. **

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><p>The city gates of Duillond closed with a loud <em>clang <em>behind a woman with a basket full of herbs, the hinges creaking and the guards stepping back in place, muttering quietly to themselves. One young guard had the audacity to comment on what he would like to do with the "pretty piece of skirt" before the new Captain of the Guard hit the side of his head. Walking away, she could hear the Captain of the Guard viciously berating the younger guard and assigning him a punishment for a week.

She was glad that the new Captain didn't share the same thoughts as most of the men in Duillond. The last Captain of the Guard had.

As the woman strode down the street, she critically looked around her, observing with some concern the poor state the city was in. The houses were made from stone and wood, most of them crumbling and with thatched roofs of reeds and straw, the cobblestone streets littered with sewage and dirty water, rats squeaking and scuttling over the rubbish. Fires were scattered about, a hazard to the city dwellers, what with the roofs. The street stank of urine, alcohol, vomit and manure and the woman took care to breathe only through her mouth so her nose wouldn't get assaulted by the nauseating smell.

Duillond was a city, east of the Blue Mountains, and it was a popular trading site for merchants. It was also popular because of its no-rules policy. Duillond had long since deteriorated in its ruling power and the guards were merely there to protect citizens from attacks from outside the city. There was nothing to stop a citizen or a visitor attacking another person. Fights were common, people dying from the wounds they got from them. Crime was high, theft and arson being quite popular. It was considered one of the most dangerous places in the West.

Her employer was a Healer (a term they used for doctors here) and he often told her stories of the attacks on women here. Of course, today after Healer Greenly told her one of his stories, he sent her out of the city to get some herbs just before sunset, which as he reliably told her was one of the most dangerous times for a women to be out.

A man's laughter filled the air and though it sounded far off, the woman sped up, her breath quickening in fear. Her faded brown cloak glided out behind her, her hood up, covering her hair. Her brown, woollen dress was fraying at the sleeves, the dirty-white chemise showing. Around her neck, the metal of the chains of two necklaces faintly glinted in the light the torches produced.

In a place where there was no rules and a few brutish men... anything could happen to her. If anything happened to her, if a man attacked her, it was her word against his and in this patriarchal society, who were they more likely to believe? If anyone even cared.

Furthermore, for 6 months people have been disappearing from Duillond as well and their mutilated, rotting bodies would be found a week later outside of the city walls. One notable detail was that the murderer took pieces of the body but there wasn't a pattern. It could be the eyes gone one murder, the next the tongue. Two people she had briefly known went missing two weeks ago, two of Healer Greenly's clients. They had been a fairly young, wealthy couple. They both turned up without their stomach. The old Captain of the Guard had been murdered, his brain missing, hence the new Captain. Sometimes clothes were taken from some of the wealthy victim's bodies as well. The Guard had only taken an interest when the old Captain was murdered a month ago.

Swallowing her unease, she clutched her basket close to her, her brown eyes gazing into the basket with some small relief at the tiny knife she had brought with her to get herbs. She would have preferred to have brought her pepper spray or her handgun but Healer Greenly literally forced her out of the door to get the herbs.

She had some knowledge of hand-to-hand combat because her best friend taught her how to do a few punches and kicks. But given her current size, she wasn't sure how her chances were against a murderer or a rapist, who would probably be much taller than her.

A bitter smile crept upon her face.

_My current size._

She was quite short now, only four foot and 8 inches. Quite a shock when she was used to be five foot and eleven inches.

It had been two months. Two months.

Her research here in Duillond had been fruitless. Despite having one of the largest libraries this side of Middle Earth, there was nothing.

She just wanted to go home.

Home was so far away, almost impossibly so.

It was a world away. Literally.

This world was called Middle Earth, also known as Arda, and she was from a world that was called Earth.

She wanted, _needed_ to go home.

She had responsibilities, she had been going to train for a job, and she had her family who...

The sound of smashing glass caught her attention as she caught two men fighting. They appeared to have shattered a window of one of the wealthier houses with a misplaced fist. The men were burly, above 6'0. They looked like they could snap her like a twig.

The woman turned away and ran down the street, fear pulsing through her veins.

_Home. _

Perhaps it was time to move on from Duillond. Her job was only temporary whilst her employer's son went away on some business. She didn't know how long the money she had saved up would last. Soon, she would be without shelter. How would she survive? No, she must go east to find answers.

She turned off now from the main street and went left. After climbing some steps, she headed right and as she did, she saw the familiar building of the library. Pausing, she sighed.

She would look for answers tomorrow. Again.

Perhaps it was her patience that needed work.

Or perhaps she was wasting time.

_It couldn't hurt to look once more._

She continued on her way to the apothecary and took another left.

Then she stopped as she heard it.

The cold laughter, the pained grunts of someone being hit somewhere (The stomach? The face?), the _thump-thump _of pounding fists.

Three voices laughing. One person groaning in pain.

A sudden, violent anger seethed in her chest, turning her vision slightly red. It was one thing to walk past a fight where it was one-on-one but three-on-one? No, this she would not allow. Barely aware of what she was doing, the woman grabbed her knife and stormed to the source of the noise.

A high-pitched voice began to whisper in her mind as she began to _remember_ but she tried to shove it aside as she focused on the situation at hand.

Yet, the little voice still hissed at her as she spied the three men_. She shouldn't get involved, she could get hurt, something could happen to her, she needs to think of her family, of going home... not some stranger._

And yet...

No, she couldn't leave the stranger. They could be seriously hurt.

"Hey!" She yelled shrilly. The woman's grip tightened around her knife as the men took no notice of her presence. She was afraid, so afraid. She felt herself shaking and again briefly wondered if it was too late to ignore this. But this wasn't right. No one deserved being beat up in an alley. The stranger would probably be left for the dead.

The attackers were all taller than her, white and quite muscular. One was counting money (probably stolen from the stranger), the other was holding the victim in place so the third could punch him again and again and again.

"Hey! I said hey! Leave him alone!"

The men finally turned towards her. She resisted the urge to shrink back.

"Don't make me hurt you!" The woman shifted her pose into a defensive position.

One of the men laughed, a booming, arrogant laugh that set her teeth on edge. He was the one hitting the defenceless man. He had blond hair and cold hazel eyes, she noticed and her insides twisted at the memory that those cold hazel eyes brought. He was the tallest of the men. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.

The woman raised her knife, rather pathetic now that she looked at it, and walked forwards. She glared at the men.

"Leave. Him. Alone." She growled. Her legs were wobbly, the toes on her right foot nervously twitching in her second-hand leather boots.

"What's a little girl going to do to me?" The leader grinned.

"A l-lot of damage if y-you don't leave him alone." She attempted to sound threatening, though it produced no effect. Instead, her voice broke near the end. The man laughed again.

"Come on, gentlemen. Let's get going. We got what we wanted. Let the bitch get the Dwarf."

The one holding the victim dropped him unceremoniously on the floor, before stepping over his body. He gave the man a quick kick in the ribs, causing the man to smack his head on the ground. The woman made a jerking movement towards him in worry.

They passed her and the leader went and snatched her knife out of her hand.

"Thanks, kitten." He smiled mockingly, before leaning down to sloppily kiss her dark cheek.

She stood still, knowing if she made to hit him whilst he had the weapon, she would be the one worse off. Waves of repulsion flowed through and she felt the urge to wrench herself away but refrained herself from doing so.

Finally, the man left and she was alone with the poor, beaten man.

The woman dashed to his side, kneeling down so she could angle his head with her hand. Her eyes flickered down to the man's body, analysing the damage done to him.

He seemed unconscious, though she wasn't sure. His eyes remained closed so he probably was. There was a bruise forming on one of his eyelids. She could see cuts as well, on his face from the blows the man had landed on him but there was also some on his chest, arms and on his left leg. These seemed older though, the blood already dried so they appeared to not be afflicted by these attackers. There was a bit of blood lost, though not life-threatening but enough to be worrying. Either way, he still needed medical attention. The wounds could get infected.

"H-Hey, I d-don't know if you're unconscious or not b-but you're safe now and I'm going to help you." The woman spoke to him.

He did not reply.

_Yeah, he's unconscious_.

The woman glanced around and spotted an old, medieval type of backpack, a battered leather chest plate and a sword in its sheath thrown across the floor. The woman picked them up, tied the sheath around her waist and put the bag on her back, shrugging on the straps.

Gingerly, the woman picked up the man's arm and slung it round her shoulders. She hated other people touching her but she had to help this guy. She slipped her other arm around his waist and stood up, pulling him up with her. Stumbling slightly under the new weight, she began to shuffle-walk to Healer Greenly's apothecary.

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><p>The woman knew in her world there was a lot of racism. She had experienced it first-hand.<p>

She supposed she should not have been surprised that in this world, with its medieval ways, it would have been any different.

Healer Greenly was refusing to help the stranger on the account that he was a Dwarf.

At first, she thought he was being rude to short people and she felt rather annoyed at his heightism. The guy she saved was taller than her, he seemed to be about five foot, and whilst she knew that that was shorter than average for a man, there was no need to be rude.

Then it transpired that the stranger was actually a Dwarf, with a capital D, meaning of the mythological race. The type that mined precious jewels and starred in Snow White.

A Dwarf, apparently, was 'one of the most despicable beings in Arda' as Healer Greenly so nicely put it. They were greedy and 'their lust for gold was unparalleled except by dragons', which staggered the woman because they did not just have Dwarves, they also had dragons in this world?!

Of course, the Dwarves had done nothing to the Healer to merit such hatred. In fact, they did not have much to do with the race of Men apart from some trade.

"Healer Greenly, it's your d-duty to s-save others!" The woman pleaded for the twelfth time. She rarely argued with the Healer, too afraid he would fire her and leave her bereft of shelter. Her cloak was gone now, hanging over a chair, and the basket of herbs lay forgotten on the counter as she struggled to keep the Dwarf she was holding upright from flopping onto the floor. His things were in a heap on the counter.

"I will not heal a Dwarf." The Healer folded his arms stiffly, his customary scowl fixed on his red face that was partially covered by his white beard.

"I will p-pay you out of m-my wages. Pl-Please."

Finally after another ten minutes, he agreed to help her by giving her what she needed to help the Dwarf in return for three days' worth of wages, thought he still refused to personally heal the Dwarf. After he had given her some salves, he disappeared again.

After 5 o'clock, the apothecary would shut and Healer Greenly would disappear somewhere whilst the woman did her errands.

When she had first come to Middle Earth two months ago, she had met Healer Greenly after she had been found by a guard outside Duillond. Confused and a little frightened by her hysteria, the guard took her to Healer Greenly to get a calming draught. The guard eventually decided she had lost most of her memory (or her mind) and left her in the care of Healer Greenly, who then hired her.

'If you're staying with me, you better make yourself useful. Though," Healer Greenly had sniffed as he looked her up and down in distaste. "That might be difficult for a woman."

It was lucky that she got employed by him but his son had gone away on business and he needed the help. It was unlucky for her because Healer Greenly loved to belittle her. Refusing to heal someone because of their race certainly didn't improve her attitude towards him.

_Bastard. _The woman thought as she cleaned the Dwarf's face gently with some water.

The Dwarf lay now on her bed in her small room. The room was made up of cold, greyish white stone walls and the wooden floors were scuffed and aged. The bed was creaky and made of unvarnished oak. It had one large window with some ugly green curtains covering it. Her bedside table was now being used to hold the poultice, the bowl of water and the bandages. The thin, green blankets on her bed were crumpled at the bottom, tossed away from the Dwarf's unconscious body.

The woman had decided she should start healing the Dwarf's face and then sort out the laceration on his leg. She felt uncomfortable about doing his chest and thought that perhaps she should wait until he was awake to ask for permission to help him.

_It could be infected by then, though. _The woman contemplated, biting her lip distractedly.

She exhaled and shook her head, deciding if he didn't wake up in an hour or so, she would have to do his chest without his permission.

The poultice she was using for the Dwarf's bruises and cuts was made from crushed comfrey leaves, parsley and yarrow. As she dabbed her finger in and tentatively rubbing it over his cuts and the bruises, her eyes began tracing his face inquisitively.

He had a strong jaw, though it was covered with a beard. It was a short boxed beard and it was well taken care of, trimmed neatly. His skin was white but lightly tanned from being in the sun. He had small creases by the sides of his mouth, suggesting he frowned a lot. His lips were thin but a nice shade of pink, which she took as a good sign for his condition. There was a small cut on it, where the man had struck him, so she quickly dabbed a little poultice on it. His nose was large, but noble, like an eagle's beak. His eyebrows were thick and wide. His eyes remained closed but his eyelashes were long, casting shadows on his cheeks. The woman thought briefly about how males always seemed to have the eyelashes women longed for before continuing to heal the Dwarf.

His hair was long, flowing past his broad shoulders, and had braids in it with silver beads keeping them intact. The colour was such a dark brown that she was tempted to call it black and it had a few small streaks of silver running through it, though he did not appear to be too old, only around his early thirties. If anything, the silver streaks made him look distinguished.

Finished with healing his face, the woman began to cut bandages for his leg.

Taking off his boots, she marvelled at the metal on his shoes, taking in the geometrical designs. She placed them carefully on her chair, admiring on how sturdy yet comfortable they looked.

The woman began to take notice of the rest of his clothing then.

He wore a deep blue short-sleeved tunic, embodied with silver, and some black breeches as well. A black woollen shirt was under the tunic, the long sleeves hiding under the Dwarf's thick bracers. There was also a heavy dark blue surcoat, lined with some fur she did not recognise but it was a tan-grey colour.

The clothing seemed expensive and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was a noble or at least from a rich family because she did not know if Dwarves had nobles or not. For all she knew they could be Communists.

His trousers had a huge hole where his leg wound was. Luckily, the leg wound was below his kneecap, else she would have insisted that Healer Greenly took care of it himself. It was a big cut but not very deep, which was a relief. She would do what she could now but she would have to properly tend to it tomorrow.

Rolling up his trouser legs carefully, she began to clean the wound with a wet rag.

She had not realised the Healer had put salt in the water for the Dwarf's wounds. The cuts on the Dwarf's face would have probably stung a little but on the wound on his leg caused the Dwarf to jerk awake with a yell of pain and kick out. His foot caught the woman hard in the shoulder and sent her flying to the floor. The woman's dress and underskirt rose up, exposing the tight, hemp trousers and the leather boots with wooden soles she wore underneath. The Dwarf tried to get up but fell back down when his injuries caused him too much pain. The woman scrambled up from the wooden floor, hands raised in an attempt to pacify him. Her hands trembled as she tried to keep calm, taking a few deep breaths.

The Dwarf's head twisted around to look at her, eyes wide.

His eyes were like blue agates. There were many shades of blue in those eyes, the shade of blue glass, and the colour of sky during dusk, the blue part of a flame and more.

The two stared at each other, her brown eyes meeting his blue. She lowered her arms as something seemed to _click _into place. She could not describe what it was, an unknown knowledge perhaps, but this Dwarf...

_I know him. I know him from somewhere._

Mentally, she shook of that thought. She broke the gaze, glancing shyly down before looking back up at him. The expression on his face was one of confusion and yet also a hint of recognition.

"H-Hello." She smiled softly at him, lowering her hands.

The Dwarf snapped back to attention. His eyes became guarded and his mouth turned down.

"Greetings to you." There was an awkward silence as they continued to look at each other before the Dwarf broke it.

"Who... Who are you?" The Dwarf said hoarsely. He had a deep voice and his accent... British, she thought, perhaps Northern English. She watched enough programmes from the BBC to know the difference of the British accents.

"M-my name is Jade Littlefeather. I found you b-being attacked by those men and I-I brought you here so I could help y-you" The woman, Jade, walked slowly towards him. "You are at Healer Greenly's apothecary, a-about 20 minutes from the main market. U-unfortunately, Healer Greenly is a bit … busy so I am healing you."

_Yeah, Healer Greenly's busy being a racist jerk._

"The Men... You made them leave?" He blinked in surprise.

"Yes b-but not before they took my knife. I'm a-afraid they also took your money, though. I am sorry. But I have your bag a-and your sword."

The Dwarf nodded heavily, sighing. Jade's nerves were all over the place, as they were wont to do when speaking with a stranger, and she kept stuttering, a habit she had spent the last few months trying to stop.

"M-May I continue healing you? It's just that your w-wounds may get infected a-and frankly, I don't think you w-want to get ill." Jade requested, her hands twisting her skirt uneasily.

"Of course. Thank you for helping me." The Dwarf replied politely, his shoulders becoming less tense.

Jade smiled at him, a shy quirk of her lips as she glanced bashfully at him. He appeared to have seen her uneasiness and was attempting to be more approachable to soothe her.

Seeing him struggle to stay sitting up, Jade quickly fetched the two pillows she had put on her chair near the window and put them under the Dwarf's back.

"I-I am sorry about t-the way you woke up. I should have r-realised t-that Healer Greenly put salt in the water."

"It is fine, truly." The Dwarf cleared his throat and turned his sharp blue gaze around the room.

"D-Does your chest hurt much?" Jade said, tentatively wiping away the dried blood from the leg wound.

"Only a little. I ran into some Orcs when I was travelling here to Duillond." Jade looked up, bewildered. She had never heard of "Orcs", even in the two months she had been in Middle Earth.

"Orcs? What are Orcs?" She asked before she could stop herself. She flushed under the Dwarf's stare.

The Dwarf's brow furrowed. "You do not know what an Orc is?"

"I don't live here. I-I mean, I live here in Duillond but I've only lived h-here for a couple of months. I d-didn't live here before then and w-where I'm from we don't have these 'Orcs'. I have n-never heard of them before so I was w-wondering what they were." Jade rambled, her anxiety getting the better of her.

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"Well, they are vile creatures. They kill for the sake of killing and they have no morality. They are cannibalistic. They are revolting to look at."

"Oh."

As another silence descended, Jade studiously continued cleaning the leg wound before putting on some poultice and wrapping a bandage around it.

"Where are you from? Your accent is one that I have never heard of." The Dwarf spoke, his eyes fixed on Jade.

Jade's lip quirked up in brief amusement at the mention of what her Grandfather called her 'mongrel accent'. She had lived in New Orleans when she was a child for the first ten years of her life so her accent was mostly Southern but it had a strong hint of North-Western influence from the years she had lived in Montana.

"I-It's a little difficult to explain. Or it's easy to explain but y-you won't believe me because it seems like I m-made it up." Jade shrugged awkwardly.

"I shall do my best to keep an open mind." The Dwarf promised.

"Ok, Mr ... S-sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"I never threw it." The Dwarf's lips curled up a little as Jade huffed, her eyes rolling. His little joke seemed to break the ice between them and Jade felt her shoulders relax.

"I am Thorin, at your service." He chuckled a little. Jade noted the absence of a surname but didn't think much of it.

"P-pleasure to meet you, Thorin. As y-you can see, I am already at your service. Do you... Do you... mind if I do your chest now?" Jade felt blood rise in her cheeks again as she glanced again at her hands. Yep, her confidence was gone again.

"If you'll tell me where you are from." Thorin bargained, one of his eyebrows cocked at her embarrassment. Jade flushed deeper and she was sure that her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg.

"D-deal. Can you take off your shirt or do you-" Jade ducked her head.

"I may need some help getting it off." Thorin admitted. Jade took a deep breath. She gestured for him to get off the pillows.

Jade took off his coat first, placing it on the back of her chair. Her cheeks burning, she took off his thick blue tunic and folded it before helping him out of his under shirt.

"Y-your chest p-plate is over there w-with the rest of your things. It's n-not very good f-for a piece of a-armour." Jade murmured as she folded his undershirt and put it on top of his tunic on the side table.

"It's a Man-made one. It was cheap, I brought it in a market when I was travelling here after my first chest plate was stolen in an inn. Dwarven chest plates, even leather, are much better than that rubbish." Thorin snorted scornfully.

"You've not been h-having much luck recently, huh?" Jade dipped the cloth in the water and wringed it out.

"I haven't had much luck in life." Thorin said bitterly. Jade knew the feeling but did not know how to reply to that so she left it.

She cleaned the cuts on his chest, being mindful of the bruises forming. She could not help but notice the tattoos he had. One was on the right side of his chest, a geometric circle with knots and stars and some sort of runes. The one on his upper left arm was like an armband, with some more runes with interlacing knots. They were intricate, better than any tattoos she ever seen in her world. The hours it must have took…

"N-nice tattoos." Jade jerked her chin to them.

"You mean my inklings?" Thorin glanced up at her.

"Is that w-what they call them here?"

"Yes. This one shows my heritage," He nodded towards the tattoo on his chest. "The other is to show others I am a warrior because of the knots."

"I have tattoos, I-I mean inklings as well. But I have to hide them because my Grandfather and Uncle hate inklings and they w-would get angry at me for having them." Jade confessed, her voice becoming hushed as though her family were in the room with her.

"Why would your Grandfather and Uncle get angry with you?"

"M-my Grandfather and Uncle are not v-very accepting of many things. The r-rest of my family do not s-share their views. " Jade picked on the poultice again and covered his cuts. Thorin was beginning to smell strongly of herbs. The scent tickled her nose.

"Where are you from, then?" Thorin continued to watch her work, his gaze beginning to unnerve her with its intensity.

"I-I'm not from these parts, I guess y-you can say." Jade murmured as she did when she began to get nervous. Another person thinking she was crazy was not something she was fond of. "I'm from a state called M-Montana, in the United States of America. I was born in Montana and I l-lived there when I was an adolescent. T-The United States are part of a continent called the Americas."

"I have never heard of such a place in Middle Earth." Thorin declared, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Y-you wouldn't have because -because it's not in Middle Earth." Jade took another deep breath, waiting for Thorin to declare her mad. "It's in a-another world called Earth."

There was a moment of silence before Thorin said "You're right. I do find it hard to believe you."

Jade sighed sadly. "Told you."

"I did not say I did not believe you. I only said I found it hard to."

Jade started up at that, glancing again into Thorin's eyes. She saw in his eyes a message: _Convince me._ A feeling akin to happiness and relief began to run through her veins. Finally, someone who was actually willing to listen to her. Jade made a quick decision.

Wiping her hands clean of the poultice, she grabbed her own backpack and brought out her planner, which she had for work back home. Flipping to the back, she knelt down by Thorin's side and shoved the planner into Thorin's hands.

"Here. This is a m-map of my world." Jade looked up again into Thorin's wide eyes as he gawked at the coloured map of her world. "This here," She pointed to the continent in the middle of the map. "That is the Americas. Up h-here," She moved her finger up a little. "That is t-the United States, w-which is my c-country. My home." She flipped another page and this showed a map of the United States itself. "I lived here, in Billings, a c-city in Montana."

Thorin's lips was parted in astonishment as he read the names of the states and the cities, fingers stroking the printed outlines of Jade's homeland.

Desperately, Jade rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her phone. It was an iPhone, one of the older models but she had worked hard as a waitress to earn the money to buy it. It had a green case with her initials H.J. L written in golden cursive on it with a small golden hawk flying above the letters. Her best friend Rael had gotten the case for her for her birthday. She handed the iPhone to Thorin, who turned it over in his hands, ogling at the sight of the foreign object.

"T-this is called a cellphone. It's a device that allows me to c-contact people. I would press a button and it would let connect to a-another phone and I could talk to someone, who may be v-very far away from me, like they w-were in the room. It doesn't work here in Middle Earth, though, b-because the technology h-here isn't as advanced as my world's is." Jade explained quickly. She leaned over turned it on and as the familiar Apple logo flashed upon the screen, Thorin dropped it into his lap in surprise. Suddenly, aware of how close he was to her, she leant a little bit back. As the iPhone settled onto her home screen, a picture of her Mom and Rael grinning up at the screen, she abruptly felt homesick again.

As she looked at their familiar faces, she couldn't help but wonder if they were still looking for her. Did they still think she was alive?

"I-I don't know how I got here. I was just g-getting out of my car on m-my first day at t-the FBI Academy when I arrived." At Thorin's look of confusion, Jade hastened to explain. "The FBI Academy is the t-training site for p-people who go to work in the F-Federal Bureau of In-Investigation, also known as the FBI. The FBI are a g-governmental agency that serves both as a federal c-crime investigative organisation and an internal i-intelligence agency. I was t-taking part in this 20 week p-programme to become one of its agents. A car is an f-form of transport that looks like a cart but it's made out of m-metal and you don't need horses to move it because there's an e-engine in it that makes it move itself."

"Anyway, I g-got out of my car with my bag to bring m-my registration forms and I shut my door and... I-I just blinked. One moment, I was in a corridor and the next... I was on a hill in the middle of a s-storm outside of Duillond. That was two months ago. I've been looking for a way to get b-back but so far, I've found nothing." She touched the screen, where the iPhone was stuck on the same date and time as it had been for the last two months. It still had 89% battery.

"March 29th 2014 at 11.54am, I disappeared from my world and came here." She whispered, eyes beginning to well up but she willed herself not to cry, not when someone else was in the room.

"I believe you now." Thorin handed her back the iPhone and her planner. Jade's lips curled up into a relieved smile as she put them back in her backpack and focused on putting some bandages around Thorin's chest.

* * *

><p>If someone had told Thorin that he would be healed by a Woman who came from another world after he had been beaten by three Men in an alley after he got attacked by Orcs, he would have asked them what kind of pipe weed they were smoking.<p>

The Orc bit he would have believed. The Men... It wouldn't have been the first time. But someone from another world?

But now, the maps of her world and that device... The evidence stated quite clearly that she was certainly not from Middle Earth. No-one would go so far as to make a made-up map and the device she called a "cellphone" was alien to him. Furthermore, he had never heard an accent like hers before and he had dealt with practically everyone on Middle Earth.

As she left the room to find him something to eat and drink, Thorin began to think of the Woman.

Miss Littlefeather seemed to him a very timid, kind soul, gentleness practically radiating from her. She was quite awkward, tending to ramble when nervous. Her stutter was a constant irritation to him throughout their conversation but she seemed quite jittery so he tried to be patient with her, though he was mentally grounding his teeth throughout their conversation.

He couldn't help but stare at her when he first saw her.

Miss Littlefeather was definitely not pretty by Dwarven standards. Indeed, she would be seen as very plain because her ears and nose were too small and she had no beard. Instead of a beard, she had high, wide cheekbones with a narrow forehead and chin. Her nose, whilst small, was straight and the tip of her nose was subtly up-turned. Her lips were wide and a deep pink. Her skin tone was similar to that of some of his people and the Broadbeams, the Dwarven clan that Durin's folk traded with, a deep reddish-brown. Her thick black hair was in a braided bun and she had a side fringe. The hair looked soft, lustrous but the braided bun she had put it in matched the plainness of her face. Her clothes were obviously second-hand, given the amount of wear. The hem of the skirt on her dress was covered in mud.

She had very fine eyes, the only redeemable feature on her face. Deep-set with wide, thick lashes and her irises a bright brown. Her eyebrows were thick and strangely enough, they seemed to have been plucked into almost natural-looking arches. It was only peculiar because Thorin knew that eyebrows were naturally a little messier as there was more hair.

Thorin snorted at the thought. _Someone plucking their eyebrows? Ridiculous. Why would anyone get rid of their facial hair?_

She was unquestionably an oddity but he was grateful for her assistance.

But why did he feel he knew her?


	3. Chapter 2: I met Murder on the way

**From The Ashes**

**Chapter 2: I met Murder on the way**

"**I met Murder on the way-/ He had a mask like Castlereagh-/ Very smooth he looked, yet grim; / Seven blood-hounds followed him" – The Mask of Anarchy, Verse II, Percy Bysshe Shelley.**

* * *

><p>Thorin had slept through the night peacefully. He had fallen asleep as soon as he had finished eating. After taking care of the dishes and cleaning up, Jade had mended his tunic before retiring. Jade had slept on the floor in the kitchen with a few blankets as it was not socially acceptable in Arda to sleep in the same room with an unrelated male whilst unmarried.<p>

Before she had brought Thorin up to her room, she had asked Healer Greenly if she could put Thorin his son's room but she got an adamant "No!" from him. When she asked if she could stay in there instead, he told her he would throw her out if she tried to do such a thing.

So she had woke up feeling stiff but Thorin would be a lot better after a decent night's sleep. Every doctor she had ever met always insisted on getting enough sleep. Jade didn't have much medical training but she learned some basics under Healer Greenly and there were a few patients who had been willing to let her help them. There was something satisfying about it, seeing someone become better under your care. Jade could see why her mother had wanted to study medicine before she had become pregnant with her.

Jade had woken up just before dawn and had set off to the bakery to get breakfast. Although Jade worked for Healer Greenly, she also did some other small jobs, like gathering herbs for some inns to use for food or mending some clothing. Healer Greenly may have given her a room but he expected her to take care of his household and also do the jobs expected of an assistant of a Healer as well. He only paid her a quarter of what she should be getting if what some of the other shopkeepers said was true. She was responsible for getting her own food and that was what most of the money she had was spent on. She didn't complain, though, for fear that he would kick her out and then she would have nowhere to go.

The small jobs helped her save up for when she was eventually let go from the apothecary. The inn owners were generous and those she mended clothes for paid a fair price. It would, by Jade's calculations, sustain her for four weeks with food without shelter or two weeks with food and shelter. That was if she didn't buy anything else, like clothes. Jade only had three sets of clothes, two of which were donated to her by a kind merchant whose daughter had grown out of them. The other set of clothes was from her world and it was apparently not acceptable for a woman to wear jeans. The clothes the merchant had given her had clearly seen some better days but she was too thankful for the kindness he had shown her to be picky.

Having gotten some scones from the bakery and some cream and jam from some merchants, Jade was now bringing Thorin some breakfast on a tray to her room, apprehension slowing her progress up the stairs. She had been lucky to also get some fresh milk from a farmer as well.

Jade strolled through the wooden hall before stopping at the first door on the right, her room. Healer Greenly slept further down on the left. Healer Greenly and his son's rooms were far better than hers and much warmer too, though she couldn't complain as no-one else was willing to take her in. She had made sure that Thorin had a few more blankets over him because she was afraid he would get cold and his condition would worsen.

Jade felt hesitant, going in to wake Thorin for breakfast. She didn't really enjoy speaking to strangers, the people who she mostly made actual conversation with being her family and Rael. She was not very good with socialising, in general. Last night's conversation with Thorin had gotten very personal, very quickly, a shockingly big step for her. Now she reflected on it, she felt uncomfortable. She had never in her entire life began to trust someone so easily. Perhaps it was his current vulnerability that made her feel safe.

_I should keep my distance from him now. _Jade thought.

He knew she was not from this world, what would he do with information like that? Also, he would be fully healed soon and he would leave Duillond and leave her. What was she doing, having personal conversations with a stranger? There was no point in trying to make friends with him, he would leave Duillond and she was trying to leave this world.

Knocking on the door with her elbow, Jade pushed the door open with her butt and wandered in, putting the tray down of the table side. Thorin appeared to have woken up at her arrival, given his bleary eyes. His hair was a bit ruffled and Jade privately thought he looked like a grumpy kitten. The image of Thorin with kitten ears made her smile and the worry she had over talking with him last night eased.

"G-Good morning. I've b-brought you s-some breakfast."

Thorin blinked at her, obviously still half asleep. "Thank... you..."

"I hope y-you don't mind but I m-mended your shirt."

"That... is... kind... of... you..." He mumbled, raking a hand through his hair in a failed attempt to smooth it.

"But, um... your trousers n-need mending too. So, if you want, I-I can mend them." Jade brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear awkwardly.

"If you please, Miss Littlefeather. May I give them to you after breakfast?" Thorin painfully sat up with a low groan.

"Sure. Also, call me Jade if y-you wish." The words flew out of her mouth before she realised what she was saying.

_Damn it, Jade. What happened to keeping a distance? _She cursed herself.

"I-I have to go and do some chores now so I'll, erm, s-see you in a bit to d-do a check-up, see how you're healing up, if th-there are, um, any changes, blah, blah, blah. Bye." She sprinted out of the room and raced down the stairs, the door slamming shut behind her.

Jade hoped it didn't wake Healer Greenly up.

* * *

><p>It did.<p>

Healer Greenly was in a foul mood, giving her more chores than usual. The shop and the house were cleaned to an inch of its life, medicinal and culinary herbs were collected, chamber-pots full of urine emptied (Jade missed her world's toilets dearly) and every other job that Healer Greenly could think of to punish her for waking him up early. She had spent a good while washing shirts, particularly one red shirt with some dirt on it. She had never seen the shirt before but shrugged it off. She had probably put it in the hamper when she was cleaning Healer Greenly's son's room.

It was just before noon when she went to see Thorin again.

He was sitting up, reading one of the books she had borrowed from Healer Greenly. It was about Arda's history but she could not read it for it was written in runes. Thorin was wearing his mended tunic. His trousers were folded up at the end of the bed.

"S-sorry to keep you waiting." Jade murmured as she strode into the room, carrying some more medicine, a bowl of soapy water, another bowl of salt water, a towel and bandages on a tray. She also brought along a bowl of the stew she had made for Healer Greenly's lunch with the last of the scones accompanied with cream and jam on a separate plate. She handed the tray to Thorin, took the salve, bandages, the bowl and the towel off and placed them on the bedside table before picking up the tray that had held Thorin's breakfast.

"H-Here. Eat your lunch whilst I, um, t-take your breakfast t-tray away and then I'll c-check on how y-your injuries are d-doing." Jade exited the room before Thorin could say a word to her.

Entering the small kitchen, Jade used some of the water she had picked up from the city well to wash the dishes from Thorin's breakfast. There was a hard block of soap that she used to get the faint dried jam stains off of the plate, scrubbing with the cloth furiously. She took her time, seeing as Thorin was eating and was quite surprised when she came up ten minutes later with a wooden cup of water, and Thorin was waiting for her patiently, the bowl and the plate looking like they were licked clean.

Jade handed the drink to Thorin and picked up his trousers. She found the needle and thread in the drawer of the bedside table and quickly but neatly mended his trousers.

"Here y-you are. I'm sorry I k-kept you w-waiting for so long." Jade said as she made the last stitch. She handed the trousers back to Thorin. He held the empty wooden cup in his right hand, unsure where to put it. Jade rolled her eyes and took it off him, setting it on the floor.

"Ok, so if you w-want to t-take your tunic off, I'll, err, see how y-you are doing." Jade washed her hands and dried them. She heard the rustle of fabric and briefly wondered how much time went into the silver embroidery sewn on his tunic before her train of thought was interrupted by a grunt of pain.

"I may need some assistance." Thorin's voice was muffled as his head was covered by the tunic, which he had been trying to take off before his injuries made themselves known. His arms were stuck comically in the air. Jade would have laughed at the sight if she were not so unnerved by Thorin.

"Oh s-sorry. I should have th-thought of that. Sorry. Sorry." She winced as she pulled his tunic off.

"You apologise even for the smallest things." Thorin rolled his eyes as she folded his tunic at the end of the bed.

Jade shrugged. It was a habit she had picked up a couple of years ago and she probably wouldn't kick it anytime soon.

She asked Thorin for permission to check his injuries, which he granted.

"Why do you ask permission to heal me?" He asked as she unwound the bandages.

"In my world, you n-need someone's consent before you g-give them medical treatment. It's illegal if you d-don't." She set aside the used bandages. The cuts on his chest looked better. There were no signs of infection. She cleaned off the poultice that she had previously put on it.

"What if they are unconscious and cannot give their consent?" Thorin's eyes were trained on her, wary curiosity in them.

"They c-contact their next of kin. If they d-don't have one or if the p-patient's condition is life-threatening, then the doctors, sorry, I-I mean healers are allowed to h-help them." Jade corrected herself.

"Again with the apologies." Thorin whispered, annoyed. She chuckled.

"Well, your cuts l-look like they're healing n-nicely but I'll put some poultice on to p-prevent infection. The bruises, however, mean you're on b-bed rest for a couple of days. Oh! Your leg! Can I c-check your leg? I d-didn't tend to it p-properly."

"I do not have my trousers on." Thorin stated gruffly, a hint of red beginning to form on his cheeks.

"Y-Yes, that should h-help me look at the wound." She deliberately played dumb in an attempt to appear professional, though she felt her face warming up.

"No, I mean that you would see me in my undergarments."

"Y-yes, I know that. I'll p-put a sheet over you for your m-modesty." Jade said, flustered.

"You did not need me to remove my trousers last night." He pointed out, the tips of his ears turning red.

"I –I only put some poultice and a b-bandage over your trousers l-last night because I didn't want to move you. B-but you seem to be a bit better and I r-really need to check it." She mumbled.

"Very well. I will allow you to check my leg but I would like a sheet. I do not wish to tarnish your virtue." Thorin crossed his arms, lips pursed as though Jade was going to argue with him when she was the one to suggest the sheet in the first place.

She grabbed the sheet as Thorin rolled up the leg of his undergarment, and pulled it up and around him, covering him from his neck to the middle of his thighs.

She then located the wound, which was just above his kneecap. It did not look as bad as it had done last night but there was some swelling around the wound. Carefully, she cleaned it again with the salt water before she gently put on some poultice and rub it in soothing circles.

Thorin was steadily watching her, his eyes flickering between her hands and her face, discomfort clear on his face. Jade avoided looking at him, focusing on the task at hand but her stomach was churning in distress. The silence between them was unbearable. She remembered why she had not become a nurse, like her Grandfather and Uncle wanted her to. Her personal space issues wouldn't exactly be an asset to the job.

Plucking up the bandages, Jade wrapped them around the leg before tying them neatly and retreated to wash her hands with the soapy water. After she dried them, she tugged the sheet down so it would cover Thorin's lower legs and handed him his trousers.

Thorin moved forward, groaning as he picked up his trousers and slipped them on under the sheet.

"Ok, I have to do your c-chest and f-face and t-then we're done for t-the day. May I?" Jade broke the silence, her voice sounding loud to her ears, making her wince mentally.

He nodded. "Miss Littlefeather," He began. "You do not need to ask my permission every time you do a 'check-up' as you call it. I am happy to let you as long as you tell me what you are going to be doing first. I rather not repeat the salt-water incident."

She grinned slightly at the memory. "Deal."

She put the cloth in the saltwater again and wrung it out before cleaning the cuts on Thorin's face.

"The Healer. He is your employer, yes?" Thorin enquired as Jade was dabbing at a cut on his cheek.

"Yeah. Healer Greenly is his n-name."

"Why is he not healing me?"

_Because he's a racist, sexist dickhead. _

Sighing, Jade said "It's because y-you are a Dwarf and for no particular reason, he hates y-your race."

Thorin lowered his eyes to his lap. "Then, why are you healing me? Why am I here and not in the alley?"

"I b-brought you here after the attack. I did not k-know that you were a Dwarf at the time and t-to be honest, I d-don't care. You n-needed help and I c-could help you. Healer Greenly r-refused to heal you and tried to m-make me take you back outside but I p-persuade him not to. So he g-gave me some healing st-stuff and here I am." She waved her hand around the room. She began cleaning the cuts on Thorin's chest, marvelling again at the beautiful tattoos on his skin.

"How did you persuade him?" His voice became lower, more intense as his jaw locked.

"I p-promised him a week's worth of w-wages in return for you s-staying here and med-medicine to take care of you. He wouldn't do it himself but he g-gets free labour and he doesn't have to do much."

"A week's worth? How much is that?" He suddenly gripped her wrist. Jade tensed at the touch and tried to tug away.

"Thorin, please let me go." Her voice became a squeak.

Thorin did as she requested and she answered "I get one s-silver and th-three copper c-coins every two days s-so I get three silver pieces and nine c-coppers a week. Though, sometimes it d-depends because he tells me he won't pay me b-because he doesn't think I've d-done enough work for it so..."

"What is it you do?" He pushed.

"I h-help him out a-around the shop."

"How exactly? What errands do you do for him? What is your daily routine?" Thorin pressed.

"Well, I…erm… w-wake up and make his breakfast. After that, I clean the kit-kitchen and then the rest of the house and wash the cl-clothes. Then I tidy the shop and I would make his lunch and s-serve it to him, and clean the kitchen again. Healer Greenly would, um, then s-send me out to get her-herbs in the forest and after that, I, um, have to go around the city h-handing out medicine to those who paid from Healer Greenly." Jade listed, using her hands to tick off her jobs. Her right hand still held the damp cloth.

"Next, erm, I would shop for his food. Then I w-would come back, do some shelving in the shop, t-take stock and then Healer Greenly w-would send me out again to get m-more herbs after I s-served him dinner and clean the kitchen again. C-Clean the house one more time, serve H-Healer Greenly some supper and l-lock up the shop. Do s-some tidying up in the l-living room and t-then I go to sleep."

"You are being underpaid!"

"Am I?" Jade cocked her head to the side.

_Well. It appears that the shopkeepers were correct._

"Yes! Durin's beard, the poor families in Ered Luin earn more than you do in a day! You must renounce this job and find another somewhere else!"

"H-Healer Greenly l-lets me stay h-here for free. I'm l-lucky to get paid." Jade's voice became small as she rubbed the wrist Thorin had grabbed. It ached a little.

"I have seen stables in better condition than this room, Miss Littlefeather. And it is certainly not fit for a female to stay in." Thorin said seriously, blue eyes flashing around the room in disdain.

_Why does it matter that I am a female? And at least I have a bed._

"Thorin, n-not many people are w-willing to take in a s-stranger. I don't h-have anywhere else t-to go." Jade huffed a little, crossing her arms.

"You say he does not always pay you? Surely, that is a reason to leave." Thorin pointed out.

"Thorin, leave it. P-Please. I d-do some other j-jobs as well. I c-collect herbs for inns and I do a bit of s-sewing for a bit of extra m-money. I'm fine."

"I cannot 'leave it'! No woman should be treated this way!"

Jade could tell Thorin was fuming about this but really, what could she do? There was nowhere else to go. She was afraid to leave Duillond. She knew nothing of the world outside the city gates and was fearful of it, the strangeness of it repelling her. She clung to Duillond, like a safety blanket that someone was trying to take away. She knew she couldn't stay there forever but she still hoped that she could find the solution to her problem and not have to leave.

* * *

><p>Thorin had been in Healer Greenly's house for five days now and Jade estimated he would be able to leave tomorrow. Dwarves apparently healed a lot faster than the race of Men. The injuries Thorin had gotten would have rendered a Man to bed-rest for a couple of weeks but for a Dwarf, they would be back on their feet in a few days, though Thorin was unable to make it to the privy by himself so the chamber-pot in Jade's room was finally put to use. Jade taking out the chamber-pot to empty it seemed to make Thorin very uncomfortable for some reason.<p>

But Thorin had healed well and he was able to walk around today, only wincing a little when he bent over to pick up his boots. "Dwarves were made to endure," He explained upon seeing her amazement. Still, she told him to not do any strenuous anyway to make sure he healed properly.

Jade grew more comfortable around Thorin and Thorin around her. They grew to have a wary acceptance of the other's presence and perhaps it was boredom or loneliness that drew them to converse with each other. They mostly talked about random things, like Jade explaining how her phone worked in more detail and Thorin explaining the symbolic meaning of some herbs she brought. Dwarrow, "the formal plural term for Dwarves" Thorin told her, had some knowledge about plants because there had been a time where they could not give jewels or silver or gold as courting gifts so flowers were used instead. Jade had told him about the murders going on. Yesterday, the guards reported another murder, this time with the man's nose and shirt missing. Thorin asked her to not go out but she told him she would not get paid otherwise, which caused him to grumble about how the Healer was taking advantage of her and how he should be looking out for her safety. It was rather sweet of him, Jade thought, to be so concerned for her.

They had had a few conversations about their lives but she was careful not to let out too much detail about her life. She talked about Billings, the city she had lived in before she went to train at the FBI Academy, and Thorin talked about Ered Luin, a Dwarven settlement in the Blue Mountains. He mentioned some nephews, though he never told her their names. He spoke mainly of the mines and Jade spoke of the cities in her world she had been to. She learned that the names of the gold, silver and copper coins; gold coins were called castar, silver coins were called tharni and copper coins were simply called pennies. She also learnt that a male from the race of Men in this world would be called "Man" with a capital M because 'man' with a lowercase m applied to males of all races, and Thorin was shocked to learn that in her world, they only had the race of Men.

He had also been surprised when he found out she was educated.

"In m-my country and quite a few others, the w-women are fortunate en-enough to be able to get an education. Educated women actually im-improve the economy, d-drawing more money in and also make more advances in technology, m-medicine, politics and in other areas. But in some countries, th-the people are either too poor or do not b-believe the women should be educated." Jade had explained.

Thorin had nodded. "Mostly, only the noblewomen of the race of Men are educated in Middle Earth. The Dwarves, however, believe that the Dwarrowdams should be educated because they teach our children. They do not have jobs, though, as most of our jobs are too dangerous. The females of the Dwarven race only make up a third of our population and are too precious to us to do such work."

"Oh. But couldn't th-they do something in politics or b-become merchants or h-healers?"

"No. Some Dwarrow believe Dwarrowdams are incapable of such things and must stay at home to focus on their families. They say that only the male Dwarrow can be politicians because they are able to focus on their jobs and are not too emotional. Truthfully, I do not share their opinions but the majority of Dwarrow do and it is the majority that are heard and heeded."

Of course, it later transpired that this particular Dwarf had an important meeting to go to in a couple of weeks.

Jade found out the money the Men had stolen from Thorin had been meant to buy a pony so Thorin could go to Ered Luin to get some of his things for a quest he was going on. After he had gone back to Ered Luin, he was going to a meeting with some Dwarf lords about the quest he was partaking on.

She had been correct when she had guessed Thorin was a noble when he started commenting on the various Dwarf lords and representatives he would be meeting with. He did not address them by their titles, for one, and the rather bitchy comments he made about a few of the Dwarf lords showed he knew them personally.

Thorin had no way to get back to Ered Luin now, since his money was gone so it was likely he was going to be late for the "conference of great magnitude", which "concerned the fate of the good people of my nation". He also mentioned how he had planned to see his family and how disappointed he was to not be able to see them and how he had made plans with his nephews.

He had said this during a great, big speech and though Jade had zoned out of it for the vast majority of it, (because '_Christ, does he ever shut UP?!')_, she got the message of his distress. She could empathise with Thorin, being separated from her own family, and she decided she would help him get back to Ered Luin. At least, one of them deserved to be reunited with their family and Thorin needed to get back to his home in time for the meeting, which could help his people. What was one person to possibly thousands? Their needs were most likely more important than hers.

So, the second day of Thorin's stay in Healer Greenly's house, she brought him a pony.

When she was out on her medicine rounds, one of Greenly's clients had happened to be selling a pony. But because Duillond was a city run by Men, who typically rode horses because ponies were too small, he had found no buyers. The pony, Jade found out, had the start of an infection as well on her flank where a dog had bit it so no one was willing to buy it. Jade had some spare medicine going so she took care of the pony and brought her from the Man for a much cheaper price. It was an impulse buy but she didn't regret it. It had taken half of her savings, to afford the pony, but she had done it.

The pony, despite being having an infection, was full of character and had been cheeky enough to try and take some of the mint Jade had with her. Jade had named the pony Minty for that incident. Minty was a gorgeous bay pony and her coat was thick and lustrous. Jade quickly became fond of her.

She had asked the man if she could keep it at his stables for a few more days, which cost two-thirds of her remaining money, but now Thorin had a way back home and if it stopped him whinging, it was worth it.

Three days later, Minty was much better now and was now ready to ride. Jade was grateful that Healer Greenly's medicine did not just work on humans.

She had earned some extra coin by taking on some more jobs of sewing and collecting herbs before she headed back to make Healer Greenly his dinner and check up on Thorin. She even cleaned a pub and she did not come back to the apothecary until quite late in the night.

Tonight, the fifth night since she met Thorin, Jade came back later than usual.

So when she went into Thorin's room that night to check up on his almost fully healed wounds, Jade found him up waiting for her with a thunderous look on his face. She faltered in her step at the glare he sent her, eyes flickering in fear but continued treading towards him.

"Err…G-Good evening." Jade nodded at him nervously.

"Miss Littlefeather, where have you been? I had been worried for your safety." Thorin scowled.

"I-I was d-doing some jobs. I-I haven't got m-much money left a-and I w-want to eat tomorrow so..." Jade out her hands behind her back, rocking her heels back and forth.

"What has happened to your money? Just the other day, you said you saved some."

"I-I did. I spent it." Jade couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the look on his face. Thorin looked completely flabbergasted at her delight and also angry at her apparent carelessness.

"You should have been more careful! What were you thinking?" He chastised her. Annoyance swelled up in Jade.

"I was thinking that maybe it would stop your whinging." Her voice snapped back, the words harsh. Her hand immediately went to her mouth as if trying to scoop the words back in.

Thorin looked as equally surprised as she was. "I beg your pardon?"

She dropped her gaze down to her feet and swallowed. Her hand flopped to her side.

"I- Well, you've healed now and you n-need to go back to Ered Luin in time so you can g-go to that m-meeting of yours and, erm, see y-your f-f-family, so I, um, brought you a pony." Jade mumbled.

"You did what?" Thorin's voice cracked through the air like a whip, his eyes disbelieving.

"I-I brought you a pony. I g-got her pretty cheap as well b-because n-no one was buying her a-and she had an infection on h-her flank b-b-but I healed her and she's ready to ride now. I n-named her Minty. She tried to nick s-some mint leaves off me a-and you told me mint is a l-lucky plant so..." Jade rambled, her hands doing some kind of rolling circular motion, which was irritating her because she could not stop doing it.

"You brought me a pony?" Thorin asked for clarification. His face was blank with surprise.

Jade nodded, biting her lip.

Thorin's eyes became hard and this transformed his face to something harsh. "What is it you want from me?" His voice was cold. He stood up, the sheets falling off of him. Luckily, he was wearing his undershirt and trousers, else the situation would have become very awkward. Though, she thought that she would have preferred an awkward situation over an increasingly tense one.

"I'm-I'm sorry?" Jade stuttered. This conversation was not going how she thought it would go. She had expected surprise, yes, but she would have thought he would at least have been grateful. She hadn't expected anger.

"You took me from that alley, brought me here and kept me here for healing against your employers wishes and now you have brought me a pony to get back to Ered Luin. What is it you want?" Thorin spat at her. He took a step towards her, forcing her to stumble back.

"I don't w-want anything from you, Thorin. N-Nothing at all." Jade said earnestly, her hands clasped in front of her.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Thorin shouted at her. She cringed and stepped back. Her breath quickened as her hands trembled with fear.

_Oh God, oh God!_

She shut her eyes, willing herself to not flinch-

"Your race always want something from my kind. What your race give us, you-" Thorin stabbed a finger towards her. "You make us pay thrice over, you selfish, manipulative –"

"I d-don't want anything! I don't! I-I was just t-trying to help!" Jade felt her lip tremble. Her eyes were open now and she couldn't cry, no she couldn't cry, she couldn't appear weak.

_I can't appear weak._

"LIAR! The race of Men are heartless and they don't care for the plight of others, not even their own kind. They would let children starve in the streets, beat their women, take what they can from others. Why are you any different?" He snarled.

"S-Sometimes people just do things b-because they want to help others, Thorin." Jade whispered before her instincts forced to flee from the room.

She clambered down the stairs, probably making a racket that would wake up Healer Greenly, and slipped out of the apothecary.

She slept on the streets that night.

* * *

><p>It had taken her a while to fall asleep and when she did, her sleep was fitful.<p>

Jade had slept on the streets before in her life, when she was nine before Social Services took her away.

It was just as terrifying as she had remembered.

She woke up just as dawn was approaching. Deciding that she could not sleep any longer, she picked herself up and began to walk out of the alley she had been sleeping in. She had made a den of sorts out of some crates near an inn. It was lucky she was small enough to fit.

Jade wandered through the cobblestone streets aimlessly, debating whether she should return to the apothecary or not. She didn't want to go back to Thorin.

_Why is nothing I ever do good enough? _Jade thought, frustrated.

She had tried to help Thorin and he flung it back in her face with insults.

Jade understood that some of her race in this world had been horrid beyond belief to Dwarves but why was he reacting so violently to her when she tried to be kind?

Having known racism from a firsthand experience, Jade could relate to Thorin. She had been discriminated against quite a bit. A month before she disappeared from Earth, she and her best friend Rael had forced out of their flat by police officers because they thought they were breaking in. Jade had tried to explain that they lived there but the police officers didn't believe her and forced her and Rael at gunpoint to get down on their knees. It had taken some explaining and some documents from the landlady for the police to admit they made a mistake and let them go.

There had been other instances too. She remembered being told off for speaking in Cheyenne whilst on the phone to her mother by a couple of random people whilst in line for a Starbucks when she was 19 because "you're in America and we speak English here. If you want to speak your language, go back to your country." She had politely informed the people that she was Native American whilst some people in the queue had yelled at them for being racist until they left. She had been called some racist slurs throughout high school and college as well.

So yes, she understood where Thorin was coming from. Being belittled and humiliated was horrible and it _hurt_. But she didn't snap at people for doing something nice for her, because they happened to be the same race as the racists. There were a few racist people in her world but not everyone was racist. Her landlady, the people in the queue and her friends in college who stood up for her proved that.

_Surely not everyone in Middle Earth is racist. _

Jade had been so busy thinking about the situation that she had almost missed it.

Luckily, she had hid herself behind a wall before she had been noticed. She peeked around the wall, watching the scene before her in the alley.

The leader of Thorin's attackers, the blond, was pressed against a wall, talking desperately to two other Men a few feet away from her.

One of the Men was tall and had dark, greasy hair that went down to his chin. She couldn't see his face but the long daggers he had strapped to his back caught her eye. The other Man was shorter, stocky and bald and was currently holding a knife to the blond Man's throat.

"Have you seen a Dwarf? Dark hair with a bit of silver, blue eyes. Wore blue and silver." The tall Man asked, his voice gravelly.

Jade gasped quietly. These Men were looking for Thorin.

"Y-yes, I beat him up and stole his money a few nights ago with some of my friends. But a Woman intervened so we left."

"A Woman?" The bald Man growled and pressed his knife harder to the blond Man's throat. A bead of blood slid down and stained his shirt. The blond winced.

"Y-yes, she intervened. Tried to threaten us with a knife but I took it off her. She had a basket of herbs with her."

"Herbs? Must work in one of the pubs." The bald Man suggested, glancing at his companion.

"Or in an apothecary." The tall one replied, looking at his accomplice meaningfully.

"What did she look like?" The bald one pressed his knife further and more blood trailed down.

"Black hair, reddish-brown skin, brown eyes. Short, about four foot, um, 6 inches or more. Spoke with a strange accent." The blond rattled off her appearance, his eyes wide, his voice strangled.

_Fuck. _Jade closed her eyes for a moment, fear making her stomach roll.

"Well then. Let's go finish our job, shall we Jorgen?" The tall one smirked.

Jorgen nodded and his knife sawed at the blond's throat until the blade grated on bone, blood rushing onto his fingers and down the blond's tunic, before letting the blond fall to the ground with a deafening _thud_.

Jade, retching and gagging silently, turned and slipped away before the Men walked out of the alley.

She had to get back to apothecary. Now.

She ran.

* * *

><p>Miss Littlefeather had not come back that night.<p>

Thorin felt awful.

As a Dwarf, he had been brought up to treat women with respect, no matter what race they were, Dwarven, Elven or Mannish. Dwarrows did not have many women and so they were worthy of respect.

Miss Littlefeather had been more than deserving of his respect. She had healed him, fed him, and brought him a pony. And he had treated her terribly, making her afraid in her sanctuary. She was probably on the streets, cold, tired. Perhaps she was in danger. Thorin wanted to go and look for her and he had tried to but when he tried to go out, the front door of the shop was locked (The Healer must have locked it) and Thorin did not have the tools to break the lock nor the money to pay for the damage. Thorin had debated climbing out the window but his ribs ached horribly when he tried to prise open the window. The two-story drop would also undo the efforts Miss Littlefeather had put in to heal him.

If his parents were alive, Thorin was sure they would have slapped him around his head for his rudeness and for putting the Woman in possible danger.

He had not been angry that he was indebted to her. No, he had questioned her motives. Too many times offers of supposed kindness had been given to him and his people but none of them were selfless or had no benefit to the benefactor.

The door flew open, banging against the wall. Miss Littlefeather came bounding in, eyes wide, panting.

"T-Thorin, you have to go! Y-you have to go now!" She cried urgently.

"Miss Littlefeather, I am sorry for my rudeness-" Thorin began but she cut him off.

"No time! Thorin, they're going to kill you! They killed the blond!"

That caught his attention.

"What?!"

"The blond, who was beating y-you up with his friends, he's dead. Two Men k-k-killed him. The two Men are looking for you a-and the blond told them about me helping you. I had to-to go through the alleys and through the back door so th-they wouldn't see me. They're going to find you and kill you! You have t-to go!" Miss Littlefeather began gathering up his things, shoving them into his hands. "If- If we can sn-sneak you out to Minty, you c-can take her n-now and go to Ered Luin."

"What about you?" Thorin dropped his things on the floor and took a step towards her.

"What about me?" She looked confused. Her eyes were fixed on his face, concern and fear in their depths.

"They will be looking for you as well." He pointed out. An icy feeling ran down his veins as he thought of the things those Men could do to Miss Littlefeather.

"I'll be fine. What's the worst they can do to me?" Miss Littlefeather tried to laugh reassuringly but it came across as a bit hysterical. She grabbed his bag from the floor again and gave them to Thorin, pushing him out the door. He slung the bag onto his back and fastened his sword to his hip. Briefly, he wondered at the temperature outside as his cloak was in his bag. Miss Littlefeather shoved his coat into his hands.

"The b-back door in the k-kitchen is open. You can slip out th-the back. Minty is a couple of s-streets away, at the stables of The Miner's Arm. Hurry!"

Thorin couldn't leave her, this kind Woman, to those Men.

He turned around and she slammed into his chest. Gently, he seized her wrists. She froze, her fingers beginning to tremble as her brown eyes bore into his own. Dimly, he was aware of her eyes looking like the colour of the earth after rainfall in this light, a warm colour.

"No. You're coming with me. I cannot leave you here. You are in danger." Thorin said firmly.

"I'll be fine! Go!" Miss Littlefeather insisted, trying to pull away from his grasp.

"No."

"Thorin. _Please_." She pleaded, her eyes beginning to shine, her bottom lip quivering. Her arms continued to try to _tug-tug-tug _themselves away. He released them but stood, rooted decisively to the spot.

"I will not leave you here. You have no protection, no security. It would be like a crime to leave you in such a vulnerable state in the face of peril. You must come with me to Ered Luin-"

Downstairs something crashed.

Thorin and Miss Littlefeather stilled.

Voices.

Thorin gripped the hilt of his sword, about to draw it.

Miss Littlefeather shook her head at him.

She gestured with her hand to follow him out of the door. He complied and began to trail silently behind her. Thorin followed Miss Littlefeather out into the hall and she opened a door and went inside, leaving the door open. Thorin stepped into the room and shut the door noiselessly.

They appeared to be in a sitting room. It was luxuriously furnished for a man of Greenly's profession and Thorin was correct in his suspicions of the Healer paying Miss Littlefeather a very low wage so he could keep more in his own pocket. The room was decorated in wine colours and handsome oak furniture. Books lined the left wall whilst on the right wall, a cabinet full of liquor sat near the fireplace, the coal still glowing red in it. Two sofas took up the majority of the space, oak-carved with wine coloured cushions. Before them, by the window, sat an oak wardrobe, gorgeously carved. Thorin noted that most of the furniture here was Dwarven made.

Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.

"In the wardrobe. Now." Miss Littlefeather whispered.

Thorin quickly went over to the wardrobe, opened the door and hopped inside. She hurried to join him but as she reached the wardrobe, male voices were heard outside the room.

Swiftly, Miss Littlefeather closed the wardrobe door and darted to kneel by the fireplace, picking up the poker. She jabbed at the coals, sparks flying up into the chimney as the sitting-room door flung open. Thorin peeked through the crack of the wardrobe door and could see a glimpse of the room. Two Men were standing by the door, the Men from Bree the night he had met Tharkun, the Wandering Wizard. They had wanted his head for a vast sum of money but Tharkun had intervened.

Without looking, Miss Littlefeather said "Good morning, Healer Greenly. I was just making up the fires. I'll make your breakfast in a bit." Miss Littlefeather's voice was completely calm with enough casualness to make it seem like she had not been expecting the two Men to burst through the door. It was the first time Thorin heard her speak more than one sentence without stuttering.

The two Men looked momentarily confused before regaining their composure.

At the lack of response, Miss Littlefeather glanced towards the Men and inhaled sharply, standing and brushing her hands on her legs.

"Y-you are not Healer Greenly." She stated, her eyes widening in a perfect picture of bewilderment and innocence. Thorin quietly admired her acting skills as he kept an anxious eye on the situation.

"No. We are not. Where's the Dwarf?" The short Man snarled.

"Dwarf? What Dwarf?" Miss Littlefeather's brow crumpled in puzzlement.

"The Dwarf you have here!" The tall one shouted.

"I'm sorry but I have no clue what you are on about."

The tall Man strode to where she was standing and backhanded her across the face. The _crack_ of his hand filled the room and Miss Littlefeather stumbled back, her hand flying to cover her cheek, a tiny whimper of pain emitting from her mouth. Thorin shifted in the wardrobe, his hand tightening furiously around his sword. His nephews often joked that his glare could set his enemies on fire and never did he wish more for that gift than this moment. No one should ever hit a female.

"WHERE IS THE DWARF?" The tall Man roared.

"What is going on here?" A new voice rang out as a figure appeared in the doorway, dressed in an emerald-green dressing gown.

Healer Greenly stood taking in the scene, his white hair and beard as frosty as his eyes. His permanently red face was fixed with a scowl and his bushy eyebrows drew over his eyes. Miss Littlefeather had once said that he looked like "Santa's evil brother", whoever that was. But there was no doubt that Healer Greenly would sell Miss Littlefeather and Thorin out to these Men, given his hatred of Dwarves and his horrible treatment of Miss Littlefeather.

Thorin took a deep breath through his nose as he prepared himself for the worst.

* * *

><p><strong>For those who have reviewed so far, thank you very much! They made my day!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3:Conversations in the Mountains

**From The Ashes**

**Chapter 3: Conversations In the Mountains**

"**You ask why I nestle in the green mountains. / I laugh but answer not - my heart is serene. / Peach blossoms and flowing waters go without a trace. / There is another Heaven and Earth beyond the world of man."- Li Bai, Conversations In The Mountains**

* * *

><p>Jade swallowed in an attempt to get rid of the abrupt dryness in her throat. Thorin was in the wardrobe, two murderers were in the room trying to get information about Thorin's whereabouts and Healer Greenly, being the jerk that he was, was going to give them away.<p>

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. _

They were so screwed.

"More friends of yours, I presume, Miss Littlefeather?" Healer Greenly drawled as he took in the figures of the assassins. He re-wrapped his dressing gown around him and sniffed, his scowl deepening.

_FUCK!_

The tall one turned around and laughed.

"Friends?" The tall one snorted. "I assure you, Father, that we are not friends with the little mistress."

_Father? _

She could hear Thorin shift slightly in the wardrobe, probably as surprised as she was at this discovery.

"How did your 'business' go, my boy?" Healer Greenly strolled leisurely to the sofa and sat down.

"Horrid. Didn't catch the Dwarf but we had a lead telling us he was coming back west. Thought me and Jorgen here-"

"It is Jorgen and I, not me and Jorgen, Graham." Healer Greenly corrected and for the first time, Jade could see the resemblance as Graham Greenly glowered at him.

"Yeah, so Jorgen and I decided we'd come back to Duillond. But imagine when I heard this bloke in a pub going on how he stole from our target and how a Woman helped the Dwarf. And that she worked in an apothecary or a pub because she was carrying a basket full of herbs. Now, I knew you were going on about getting some more help around this place so I figured maybe it was time to pop in for a visit to my dear old dad."

"Hang on. Just to c-clarify," Jade pointed to the Healer and Graham. "You two are f-father and son."

"Yes, you dim-witted girl." Healer Greenly sighed dramatically as he lolled his head back to rest on the back of the sofa.

"But- but you're a H-Healer and he's- he's a murderer! How can-"

"Well, I need cadavers to do my testing from somewhere." Healer Greenly shrugged loftily.

_What._

"C-Cadavers?!" Jade cried out aloud.

"You see, she isn't very bright." Healer Greenly told Graham and Jorgen. "Yes, cadavers. The murders that have been going on? Quilliam, one of my son's business partners, owed me a favour. He would get me cadavers because my son was away on a job. Usually, Graham here goes out on the roads near Duillond and brings me the bodies of some travellers." Healer Greenly shrugged indifferently. "Why do you think I send you out on all of those errands all of the time? I was experimenting in the cellar. I didn't want anyone finding out about my little tests and no matter how obtuse you seem, there was a chance you would tell someone about it. And if word of my experiments came out, it would be bad for business."

Jade was horrified. She had thought that Healer Greenly dealt with medicinal herbs and illnesses, not using dead bodies to test on. Not to mention getting people to murder people so he could get said bodies. But it made sense now. His disappearing act, the foreign shirts in the washing basket, his dead clients.

Jade's stomach rolled as she remembered the blond having his throat slit and in her imagination, she saw the bodies piling up on Healer Greenly's kitchen counter, blood crusted on skin. Bile rose in her throat as she tried to get a grip on herself.

"H-How could you do that?! That's b-barbaric!"

"Not as barbaric as that Dwarf of yours is, I assure you." Healer Greenly smiled coldly.

"So the Dwarf is here, is it?" Jorgen grinned.

"Ah yes, indeed. I almost turned him away but Miss Littlefeather offered to work for free for a week if I let him stay whilst he healed. He is most likely in Miss Littlefeather's room at the moment." Healer Greenly examined his nails, bored.

Jorgen shook his head. "Nah, he's not. We checked when we came up."

Graham strolled to Jade and grabbed her by the throat with his right hand, shoving her into the wardrobe. As Jade hit her head (she heard Thorin take in a sharp breath at the _crack_) and winced at the impact, she felt her mind stir at a memory as she tried to recollect her thoughts. She struggled against Graham's grip, digging her fingernails into his hand and trying to kick him, aiming for his groin but he easily evaded her. Graham took out his knife and held it up so Jade could see.

"Do you see this? Well, if you don't tell me where the Dwarf is, I will cut your pretty face open." He murmured to her. There was no need to shout with this murderer. The soft purring tone he used was twice as frightening.

"Graham, don't do that. The bloodstains on the floor..." Healer Greenly made rolling gesture with his hand. "Such an effort to clean up."

"No, let's not get to the bloody stuff yet. How about we try one of our 'Games'?" Jorgen smiled.

Jade froze at the mention of '_Games'._

"Unless... you tell us where the Dwarf is."

"No." Jade growled.

"If you don't tell us, I'll slit your lovely little throat."

"If I t-tell you, you'll j-just kill me anyway. Like y-you did with that blond."

"You saw that? Funny, we didn't see you. Well then, you know who you are dealing with, don't you? Now, tell me." Graham pulled her forwards by the throat and then smashed her back into the wardrobe. "Where is the Dwarf?"

She spat in his face, right between his dark eyes. She was greatly satisfied at the look of shock on Graham's face, a tiny smirk of furious triumph appearing on her lips.

Graham wiped off her spit with the arm that was holding the knife. "Wrong answer."

He grasped her by the throat again and flung her back towards the sofa. Her body flipped around as he threw her and she landed hard on her back, her breath realised in a sharp _oof_.

_If I get out of this, I'm going to have one hell of a headache. _

"Yes, she will be perfect for my next cadaver, don't you think?" Healer Greenly tilted his head thoughtfully.

Graham advanced on her, a large sadistic grin on his face. "Yes."

Her breath hitched.

The wardrobe door sprung open.

A sword ripped through Graham's flesh. He looked down in surprise to see the sword protruding out of his chest, blood just beginning to spread through his shirt before the sword slid out. He knelt suddenly, as though gravity had rapidly increased on his body, and there was a _swish_ of a blade and the flash of silver flying sideways. Graham's eyes rolled as his body fell to the right whilst his head rolled off to the left, landing near Jade's feet. Blood ran in rivulets, meandering their way to stain the bottom of her boots. Thorin stood above her, a wild, fierce look upon his face as he assessed the situation, his sword bloody.

To her credit, Jade did not scream. But she did throw up a little in her mouth, which she then swallowed.

Thorin now spun around to face Jorgen who lunged at him. Thorin side-stepped him but stuck his foot out, tripping the Man up. Jorgen went sprawling to the ground, sliding on some of Graham's blood, and Thorin kicked him harshly in the face with his metal-tipped boots, once, twice, three times before the Man stayed down.

Jade, who had been watching this as though she was in a dream (more like a nightmare), noticed Healer Greenly standing now by the wine cabinet. In his hands a crossbow was pointed towards Thorin.

"GET DOWN!" Jade screamed at Thorin, who dropped to the ground just as Healer Greenly pulled the trigger. The bolt narrowly missed his head.

Picking herself up, she ran at Healer Greenly and grabbed the cross bow, trying to twist it away from his grasp with some difficulty. He struck her hard twice across the face with the back of his hand, attempting to get her to let go but she gritted her teeth and with a quick movement, Jade jerked her knee up into his groin, causing him to relinquish his hold on the crossbow. Thorin, who went to assist her, smacked the pommel of his sword into Healer Greenly's head, rendering him unconscious.

Panting, Jade tottered on the spot and made small whining noises of distress. Thorin appeared at her side. He gently pulled the crossbow out of her hands.

Jade took a deep breath through her nose, trying to reassure herself that she was safe as the effects of the adrenaline wore off. She felt wobbly all over and her hands felt like ice. She willed herself to not start crying.

"Go get your things. I will sort out what to do with these Men."

Jade made a sound of agreement and went to get her backpack with shaky steps.

When she got to her room, she finally put that chamber pot to use: she threw up in it.

* * *

><p>They had left Duillond two hours after dawn.<p>

They had told the guards of Healer Greenly's experiments. Now it was up to the guards to do something about it. The new Captain of the Guard seemed to take this matter seriously. He had sent a few guards to the apothecary, where Thorin had tied up Healer Greenly and Jorgen, and the captain had asked detailed reports of the incident. Maybe there would be some change in Duillond under this new Captain's leadership.

Minty had quickly acquainted herself with Thorin, giving him a horsey kiss on his nose as he patted her neck. Despite his gruff demeanour, Thorin seemed to soften slightly at the pony's blatant affection. Minty had no problem carrying both of them and their luggage and they had quickly set off. They had to buy some tack and some supplies before leaving but they were much better off now, seeing as Thorin had raided Healer Greenly's money, which had been hidden in the wine cabinet, when Jade went to collect her stuff.

When asked about it, Thorin said "I am only taking what is due to you and some compensation for the threats they made to you." 'Some' meaning all of the money. Their bags had grown very heavy from the weight of it.

Jade didn't feel too guilty about taking the money though. Healer Greenly wanted her to be a cadaver. In America, he would have had to pay compensation as well as time in jail.

She had slung her backpack on her back, all of the possessions she owned in there and some of the gold hidden in there, just in case she had to make a quick escape from Thorin. She didn't know Thorin well enough to trust him not to attack her and she had hidden a small knife in her boot so she could protect herself if need be. He would probably disarm her if a fight happened but at least she had the means to try and defend herself. She didn't think using her gun was a good idea: It would make a lot of noise, which could attract unwanted attention, and she only had several bullets.

It was later that day when the question of how Thorin knew where the gold was occurred to her. They had been riding for hours in companionable silence. Riding together had been awkward at first. Jade had to cling to Thorin like a spider monkey because she had to sit sideways, due to her dress, and she was not very good with the whole touching thing. Jade was also clinging to Thorin because she had never ridden on a pony before, and whilst Minty was an absolute sweetheart, it was still quite a bit of distance till the ground.

"Thorin? How- How did you know w-where Healer Greenly k-kept the money?" Jade asked to distract herself from thoughts of falling as she shifted her hold on him to get a better grip. Thorin was guiding Minty as they went down the road that would lead them to Ered Luin. Jade was keeping a sharp eye out because Thorin told about his tendency to get lost a few days ago.

"When you were running errands, Healer Greenly would slip into the sitting room and I heard the coins clinking together every time he did. When I was in the sitting room, I could feel their location."

"Feel?" Jade cocked her head to one side in bewilderment.

"Yes. Some dwarves are born with another sense. Some dwarves sense jewels and other metals. My line, however, appear to have an affinity for gold." Thorin said bitterly.

"And t-that is, um, bad?"

"It is sometimes." Thorin answered shortly and the conversation died.

They travelled till nightfall and they set up camp near some trees for cover. Minty was tied up and was grazing nearby and Thorin made Jade put some salve on the bruise that was forming on her cheek from where Graham had hit her and on her throat, which ached horribly.

Thorin had struggled making a fire so Jade took out her cheap plastic lighter from her backpack and lit the fire. Thorin had examined it closely and and after Jade had explained to him how it worked and the different types of lighters, Thorin appeared determined to make a lighter so he did not have to put up with rocks or matches anymore.

After eating a dinner of bread and cheese, Thorin told Jade to get some sleep as he was taking first watch. Jade had tried to convince him to let her take first watch because "you're still recovering" but Thorin had refused.

"Thorin?" Jade turned over in Thorin's medieval version of a sleeping bag, a bedroll Thorin called it, to look at him. He was sitting near her, tending to the fire.

"Yes, Miss Littlefeather?" He glanced at her before turning his focus back onto the flames.

Jade propped herself up on her elbow. "You- You know when you w-were fighting Graham and Jorgen? H-How did you d-defeat two m-murderers at once?"

"There is a difference between a murderer and a warrior, Miss Littlefeather. Murderers often kill sloppily and they do not have to go through years of training to kill. Warriors are trained to fight and know how to make a clean kill and how to recognise weaknesses in the enemy. Because of my experience and the fact I have more knowledge in combat, I was able to defeat them." Thorin explained as he fed the fire a small log.

"Oh."

A pause.

"My-My grandfather and uncle w-were soldiers, though they never t-taught me to fight. Rael taught me a b-bit of hand to hand c-combat but it wasn't m-much use today, was it?" Jade huffed, feeling a small amount of disgust at her obvious defenselessness.

"You defeated Healer Greenly without a weapon." Thorin pointed out.

"Yeah b-but I meant against Graham. I-I got chucked ab-about like I was a, um, rag-doll." Jade sat up. "Do-Do you know a way to g-get someone off of y-you when you're in a sit-situation like that?"

"Yes, I do." Thorin looked at her intently.

"C-Can you teach me?" Jade gazed at him pleadingly. "Please? I d-don't want to be in th-that situation again."

"You will not be in that situation again." Thorin rolled his eyes.

"Y-You don't know that." Jade shook her head at him. "Come on, a f-few simple moves. I know some p-punches and a couple of kicks, l-like, erm, roundhouse and all. But h-how do you take someone d-down if th-they got your arms around y-you? Or if they've g-got a knife to y-your throat?"

Thorin frowned. "I am not teaching you how to fight."

"Please, Thorin. I-I don't want to b-be weak again."

"Weak? You are not weak." Thorin surprised her by laughing. "In all of my years, I have never seen a member of the race of Man willingly put their life in peril for a Dwarf they barely know. You were in danger, threatened, and yet you took it upon yourself to protect me by not giving me away. No, you are not weak. There is some strength and courage in you."

Flabbergasted by this small speech of compliments, Jade felt her cheeks warm up as she ducked her head, mumbling thanks.

"But I do have a question for you, Miss Littlefeather." Though no friendly expression was on his face, his tone and his eyes was amiable. "Why did you help me? Not just the murderers but also those Men in the alley?"

"Are y-you going to sh-shout at me again b-because I h-helped you?" Jade asked, a hint of teasing coming into her voice.

The warmth in Thorin's eyes faded as regret took over. "My apologies, I-"

"No, no, no, I-I meant that as a j-joke." Jade waved her hands at him, as though she was trying to wipe away the words of her failed joke from the air. "I guess, I h-helped you b-because... it wasn't fair. It was three-on-one and y-you could have died. It d-didn't matter to me th-that you were a Dwarf. I actually d-didn't know you w-were a Dwarf until Healer Greenly t-told me. I just saw some-someone who n-needed a hand."

The side of Thorin's mouth quirked up. "Strength and courage indeed."

* * *

><p>Jade had slept lightly, her hand near her knife the entire time, and was still tired when Thorin finally woke her around 2 o'clock in the morning so he could get some sleep.<p>

She had taken watch in silence, fiddling with her necklaces and taking the 3 photos of her family out of her cheap leather wallet. She had held the one of Rael and her Mom at her graduation from college for a minute or two, gently stroking her mother's face with the tip of her finger, before sliding it back into her wallet. She had smiled at one photo of her cousins, Freya, Shane and Aoife that was taken last year at Christmas. They were wearing the ugly Christmas jumpers their father got them.

The last photo was seventeen years old and Jade had carefully put it back after a moment or two.

She then smoked a cigarette, the lit end a tiny sun in the darkness. Something, she thought, that was well-deserved after the day she had had, though it didn't stop the sharp pang of guilt. This was her sixth cigarette she had had since she first came to Middle Earth and there were only fourteen left. She had started smoking when she was 22, only occasionally because she couldn't afford to smoke all the time. She didn't smoke because she thought it was cool or anything but because it calmed her down. The action of making a cigarette (she couldn't afford the ready-made ones and brought the cheapest filters and tobacco she could find) and the act of smoking was soothing to her. She had promised Rael she would stop and really, she should never have started because she could have saved money and she was poor enough as it was but it _felt_ good. She hated herself for her addiction, her vice and one of her many weaknesses. She hated how much she relied on it to calm her down, hated how she couldn't stand the itch in her throat when she tried to quit, hated how these chemicals she craved made her feel good but slowly killed her insides. Jade felt disgusted with herself for being caving in but at the same time, there was a sense of intense relief.

When dawn came, Jade rose and tended to Minty, making sure she had grazed and had drunken from the small stream they were near.

Thorin had woken up around 9 o'clock and after both going to the toilet (going to the bathroom in the wild was an experience for Jade: It was awkward, squatting and trying to not to get pee on your clothes), they set off again after eating breakfast. They had exchanged a few pleasantries before once again descending into silence.

They had travelled for an hour or so before Thorin finally spoke.

"The Man on the painting on your… cellphone. Is he your suitor?"

"No, Rael is m-my best friend." Jade said. Thorin was not the first to ask if Rael was her boyfriend but the question always made Jade rather annoyed. Why couldn't a woman and a man be just friends? She could not imagine being in a relationship with Rael.

"I see. And the Woman is your mother, correct?"

"Yes, th-that's my Mom, erm, I m-mean my mother. H-Her name is Deirdre." Jade lowered her eyes to the ground as sadness flooded her stomach.

"You resemble her greatly." Thorin said after a moment.

"Thanks."

Minty snorted and shook her mane, chopping at the bit in her mouth. The plain they were travelling across was wide and greyish green, the grass long. It seemed almost endless. In the far distance, she could see a grey speck, which Thorin identified as the Dwarven settlement. It would take another few days to reach there.

A thought suddenly came to Jade: Why didn't Thorin leave her in Duillond?

"Thorin, why, er, are w-we going t-to Ered Luin?" Jade asked.

"I need to get my belongings for my Quest after I go to the meeting. I told you this."

"Sorry, let me re-rephrase the qu-question: why are y-you taking _me_ to Ered Luin? Why not l-leave me in Duillond? Graham is dead, H-Healer Greenly and Jorgen are in p-prison. I'm safe now. So why t-t-take me to Ered Luin?"

"Healer Greenly and Jorgen are not in prison. They are as good as dead. The guards most likely executed them this morning after they caught them." Thorin said calmly.

Jade sat up in surprise. "Whoa, wait. They're dead?"

"Of course. The Head of Guard informed me when you went to get Minty that they would be hanged now they caught them. Do you not execute people for their crimes in America?"

"No, we do b-but usually we put them on d-death row. Death row is a pl-place the c-criminals get sent to, w-where they wait to b-be executed for years because the l-law procedures are p-pretty complex and t-time-consuming." Jade was taken back about how quickly the execution took place. Not to mention the fact that there wasn't even a trial, which went against Jade's law-school enforced instincts. "But… I k-know Healer Greenly and th-the murderers w-were guilty and all but did-didn't they still h-have the right to a trial to d-defend themselves so the facts are est-established to the law court? You k-know, Habeas Corpus?"

Thorin gave her a strange look. "I am unfamiliar with the term 'Habeus Corpus' but I do know about the right to a trial. The race of Men do not have such a justice system; they do not hold trials. The fate of criminals lies with the ruling power, in this case the Captain of the Guard. It is a corrupt system, I agree. The Dwarven justice system is fairer. We have a trial for the accused, a jury made up out of the nobles and the Lord or King is the judge."

"A jury m-made up out of n-nobles? Are n-none of the other cl-classes in the jury?"

"No. Why would they be?"

Jade sighed. "B-Because it's fair. But let's stop g-getting side-tracked and get back to th-the original topic of th-this conversation: why am I g-going with you to Ered Luin?"

"After I go to my meeting with the other Dwarf lords, I am going on my quest. My company and I are meeting in a place called the Shire, specifically a town called Hobbiton. One of the people I am meeting there is a Wizard called Gandalf the Grey. He may have some knowledge on how to get you back to your world."

Jade felt shock at first and then elation came crashing down upon her and she felt her eyes sting a little. She could go home. She might be able to get home! This, this could be _it_. She had spent two months looking for a way home and now finally, she just might get the chance.

"You're-You're taking me to see some-someone who could most likely b-b-be able to help me get back h-home?" Her voice rose in pitch in joy.

"Yes." Thorin said nonchalantly.

Jade tightened her arms around Thorin's waist, awkwardly hugging him from behind. "T-Thank you. Thank you." Her voice slightly shook from the emotion she was feeling.

After two days, Ered Luin had grown from a speck into what appeared to be a giant snake that had eaten the Egyptian pyramids. Thorin had told her Ered Luin was called the "Blue Mountains" in the Common Tongue. The Common Tongue, also known as Westron, was what they called English in Middle Earth.

"Are th-there any other l-languages th-that are used?" Jade asked as she ate the last of her cheese sandwich.

They were currently eating breakfast around the fire, bread and cheese with apples they had found off the apple tree Thorin's back was currently leaning on, Jade sitting cross-legged across from him. Minty was raising her head in an attempt to get an apple from the tree, her teeth visible as she tried to bite down on an apple. The bread was beginning to go stale and their supplies were getting low. Thorin mentioned he would have to go hunting later this evening.

"Yes. There are many. Some Men in the East have their own languages, as do the Men of the North and South. The Men of Rohan use Rohirric. The Elves," Thorin spat out the word with such disdain that Jade was taken back by the venom in Thorin's voice. "They use Quenya, Telerin and Sindarin. Then, there is the Hobbits, the race that lives in the Shire and they speak Westron. Yet, I have heard the Hobbits used to speak their own language called Hobbitish. My people have our own language, Khuzdul, and a sign language, Iglishmek. I cannot speak Khuzdul in front of you, for it is a secret amongst my people. Even telling you the names of my languages is more than what most of my people would tell you."

"Oh I see. There are m-many languages in my w-world, uh, roughly 6,500 I think. We don't r-really know how many th-there are becau-because some g-go extinct or are not known."

"Do you speak any other language that's not the Common Tongue?"

"We call the C-Common Tongue English in my wor-world. English is my mo-mother tongue. I s-s-speak Cheyenne as well, wh-which is the language of my tribe. I also speak Spanish b-because Rael is half Hispanic. W-When I met him, he c-could only speak Spanish so I, um, l-learned it to speak to h-him. I c-can read Ancient Greek. Rael and I used t-to, erm, w-write our notes in Ancient Greek s-s-so our teachers c-couldn't read them." Jade beckoned Minty over and fed her the apple core. She giggled at the feel of Minty's whiskery lips on her hand and she stroked Minty's face gently. "Do you sp-speak any other languages, other than th-the Common Tongue and Khuzdul?"

"Yes, unfortunately I know the Elven languages. I also regrettably know Orcish. But I do have the pleasure of knowing a few Easterling languages."

"Orcish? The- The cannibalistic crea-creatures you told m-me about? Why d-do you kn-know their l-language?"

"My people have been at war with Orcs a few times. Soldiers were taught Orcish so they could understand what the Orcs were saying when on the battlefield. That way we can respond quickly in order to defeat them." Thorin explained. He took a vicious bite out of his bread.

"Th-That makes sense. Why d-did you learn the El-Elven languages?" Jade cocked her head slightly. It seemed that Thorin didn't like the Elves so why would he know their languages?

"My people once had an alliance with a group of Elves." Thorin's tone had darkened. "My Grandfather thought I should learn what they were saying when we held meetings with them in case they were deceiving us." Thorin ate the last of his bread and brushed his hands.

"Oh…" She wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"Come, let us go. We need to find some good hunting grounds tonight. I know of one near here that is full of pheasants." Thorin stood up and went to collect his belongings.

Jade rolled onto her feet and stretched.

_Meat does sound good tonight. _She thought as she walked over to Minty.

Thorin had caught a pheasant, like he said he would, and after plucking out the tail feathers, he was using a method he called "wet-plucking" to take the feathers off the dead bird. It required a pot of scalding water and Thorin worked quickly because apparently, using the scalding water process only works when the feathers and skin of the pheasant are warm.

"A pheasant's skin can easily tear when you pluck it so you must be careful with it." Thorin had explained when he came back. He had a small net around the bird and he had already broken its neck.

Jade had collected the water whilst Thorin was hunting and had heated it up over the fire until it was steaming, 'not boiling or even simmering' as Thorin commanded. Thorin was now plunging the pheasant into the very hot water. She had cried out in alarm until he explained that Dwarves had tough skin and it didn't hurt him. Thorin held the pheasant under for thirty seconds (he had asked Jade to count silently and then give him a nod when she reached thirty) and then lifted the pheasant up and drained the water until it stopped coming off in a stream. He repeated the process again as Jade counted.

_26, 27, 28, 29, 30_. Jade nodded at Thorin and the bird was raised into the air again. Water dripped off the pheasant.

"You have a gold necklace around your neck." Thorin stated offhandedly.

"Umm…. Yes, I do." She replied, confused before she remembered his gold-sense. "H-How long did you, um, know I h-had it?"

The water had stopped running off the pheasant so Thorin dunked the pheasant under a third time.

"I began to sense something gold in the apothecary but I had believed it was Healer Greenly's money. I continued to sense it when we first started our journey but again I thought it was the money we took. But when we were eating today, I sensed it on you. And just now, I saw the chain of your necklace."

_28, 29, 30_. Jade nodded at Thorin again. He drained the pheasant for the final time before coming to sit down near Jade and started to pluck the pheasant's left wing. She began fiddling with the chains of the two necklaces.

"You said you needed money in Duillond. Why did you not sell it? Gold necklaces go for a pretty penny."

"Sentimental v-value. My Mom ga-gave it to me when I-I was a child. It w-was a joint pres-present from my Mom a-and my Meemaw. My M-Mom designed it a-and my Meemaw p-paid for the materials and m-made it when I was a b-baby. It's one of m-my prized pos-possessions."

She did not mention to Thorin that her family were poor and though she had considered selling her necklace when times had gotten tough, she couldn't bring herself to sell the last remaining gift from her Meemaw. Her Meemaw had been fairly wealthy. After she divorced Jade's Grandfather, she had set up her own jewellery business and had been quite successful. It was how she had met her new husband, Tobias (but better known as Toby) when he went to work for her as a sales assistant. Her new husband eventually became Jade's Poppa until he and her Meemaw died in a car crash when Jade was six. Jade hadn't know at the time but her Meemaw had given all of her money to Jade so she could go to college when she was 18. She had wondered at the time why she had not given some to her parents but now she could see why. It didn't matter. All of her money was gone now. Her Mom had insisted that she did not sell her necklace, instead selling Meemaw's engagement and wedding ring from her ex-husband, Jade's biological Grandfather.

"What… is a Meemaw?" Thorin began plucking the pheasant's right wing, the feathers scattering to the ground like confetti.

"Meemaw is, um, my nickname f-for my mat-maternal Grandmother."

The fire crackled in the night, the dancing licks of red and orange illuminating Jade and Thorin's faces. The wind blew sparks into the air, yellow dots waltzing and spinning in the breeze.

Thorin had finished the wing and started to carefully pull the feathers from the outer edges of the pheasant's breast.

"Can I-I ask you some-something?" Jade fiddled with her fingers.

"You already did but I will allow you to ask the question you have in mind."

Jade huffed.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Jade said sarcastically. Thorin whipped his head around at her, his expression frozen. His fingers clutched the pheasant.

"Pardon? Did you just call me 'your Majesty'?" His voice remained steady but his eyes expressed wariness.

"I m-meant it sarcastically. I k-know you're not a king, y-you would have said. I'm gu-guessing you're, um, from a noble family, th-though, judging b-by your clothing a-and your manner." Jade rolled her eyes as Thorin shifted uneasily beside her. He continued tugging feathers out of the pheasant's skin, working his way down to the flank feathers on the pheasant's thighs.

"Anyway, m-my question: You…You keep g-going on about th-this meeting and q-quest of yours. W-What is th-the quest for? Y-You don't have t-to answer if-if you don't w-want to. I w-was just cur-curious."

"I am afraid I cannot answer that." Thorin admitted. "The quest I am going on is secret, due to the nature of it. All I can say is that it concerns my people and it is very important."

"Fair enough." Jade shrugged.

"You are not going to press me for information?" Thorin glanced at her suspiciously.

Jade rolled her eyes. "N-No. It's your business, n-not mine."

They fell silent again.

Thorin had plucked the feathers of the pheasant's thighs, neck and breast and was finishing tugging off the last few feathers of the pheasant's back before he spoke again.

"Do the people in your world have knowledge of other worlds?"

"Yes, sort of. W-We know of oth-other planets, all of wh-which are un-uninhabitable by m-my world's standards but we h-have yet to meet other l-living beings in th-those worlds. Some people don't th-think they exist. In m-my world, we're ter-terrified that we are th-the only living people in th-the universe but we're al-also terrified th-that we might not be."

"Why are the people of your world terrified of not being alone in the… universe?" Thorin looked at Jade to see if he said 'universe' correctly and she smiled at him, nodding. Thorin took out a small knife from his pocket and began gutting the pheasant. Blood dripping down Thorin's knife as he took out the innards of the bird, tossing them into a small pile by his feet.

Jade looked away from the gory sight of the innards, feeling a bit sick.

"Some of us a-are highly sus-suspicious. If we are, um, not alone, th-they assume that aliens, which is w-what we call p-people who are not fr-fr-from our world, are going to t-try and conquer our h-home and make us s-slaves or eat us or w-whatever ridiculous th-thing they can m-make up. Maybe that's w-why we don't know if th-there is any other living b-beings out there. The aliens prob-probably think th-the people of m-my world are very r-racist." Jade laughed.

"So because you are in this world and not your own, you are an… alien?"

Jade straightened in her seat in surprise and frowned thoughtfully. "Never th-thought of it l-like that… Yeah, I, er, g-guess I am an alien."

"I do not like describing you as an alien. It makes you sound unnatural."

"Well, wh-what do you s-suggest calling me?" Jade quirked up her right eyebrow at him.

"Miss Littlefeather, as I usually do." Thorin began to prepare the pheasant for roasting.

"H-How about Jade?" Jade countered, trying to restrain a smile.

"Very well then, _Jade_." Thorin said pointedly, his eyes warm.

Dinner tasted wonderful. Jade had never eaten pheasant before but she quite liked it. Thorin had cooked it until the skin was crispy and Jade discovered pheasant had a similar taste to chicken but stronger, more gamey. They both had a massive leg each and eat it with an apple, the combination strange but surprisingly good. They sat on the ground next to each other but with a comfortable distance between them.

Jade was just finishing off her leg when Thorin made a surprising request.

"May I see your necklace?" Thorin asked as he tossed his bone into the fire.

Jade looked at him in astonishment and a hint of suspicion. Like Thorin said, gold necklaces went for a pretty penny and Thorin could easily overpower her if he wanted her necklace. Not to mention the other necklace. The strange silvery metal and the blue crystal were unidentifiable to her but could be valuable for all she knew.

"Why?" Her question came out a bit ruder and harsher than she meant it.

Thorin raised his eyebrows at her tone but Jade stood her ground, waiting for his reply.

"I was curious to see how jewellery from your world differs from Middle Earth's. The Dwarrow are master craftsman and whilst my trade is black-smithing, I also dabble in jewellery-making, as do my sister-sons."

Jade thought about this. It seemed a reasonable request and her world's designs could be useful to Thorin. She wiped her greasy fingers on her dress.

Hesitantly, she reached behind her neck and unclasped the elegant gold chain, separating it from the silvery chain of the other necklace. Jade wondered about showing him the blue crystal necklace to ask him if Thorin could remove it from her neck. It appeared to be magical as the chain would shorten every time she tried to pull it off from her neck so she couldn't get it off and there was no clasp to undo it. She decided to ask him after she had shown him the gold necklace. She pulled her necklace from her neck, the pendant rising from its hidden place under her dress. The green pendant swung back and forth as she held it and passed it to Thorin.

Thorin held it in his left hand and finally got a good look at the pendant. The pendant was a jadeite jade donut, secured in a gold bezel with a twisted border. The centre of the pendant contained a golden forget-me-not, cradling a small, prong-set diamond in the middle.

His lips parted as his eyes glowed with recognition of something and all at once, his facial expression became thunderous and he stood up, towering over her.

"AXESTONE! HOW DARE YOU!" He shouted at her. His right hand went to his sword.

Jade instinctively shied away from him, one hand raised in front of her and the other going to her right boot, where the knife was hidden. "Axestone? What's axestone?"

"THIS! THE GREEN STONE!" Thorin thrust the pendant in her face roughly, his hand shaking with anger. Jade flinched back, beginning to pull out the knife. "THAT IS AXESTONE! AXESTONE IS A HOLY STONE! IT SYMBOLISES THE MARRIAGE OF AULË AND YAVANNA! ONLY THE HALLS OF PRAYER AND THE ROYAL FAMILIES ARE ALLOWED TO POSSESS AXESTONE! YOU DEFILED THE HOLY STONE OF AULË! HOW DARE YOU DESRESPECT THE STONE FATHER, YOU-"

"Thorin, th-that stone is my namesake. It's called j-jade in my world. It's con-considered lucky f-for someone with a s-stone name to wear their n-namesake. It doesn't h-h-have the same m-m-m-meaning to it. It's just a p-p-p-pretty stone in my world th-th-that means luck and happiness. We don't w-worship anyone c-called Aulё or Yavanna. I didn't m-m-m-mean to seem disrespectful." Jade cried out desperately.

Thorin stilled.

"Jade is your world's name for axestone?" He said in disbelief.

"Yeah. I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to dis-disrespect your deities. I didn't k-k-know that axestone was a h-holy stone. " Jade bowed her head. She kept a tight grip on her knife.

Thorin's eyes zeroed in on her hand. "You have a knife in your boot."

"Yes. I'm s-s-sorry but I don't know y-you well enough. It's n-nothing personal, t-trust me. I just… need t-to make sure I h-have something to p-protect myself."

He looked highly offended. "I would not have harmed you."

"Thorin, y-you almost p-p-pulled your sword out on m-me." She pointed out.

The fire crackled as Thorin hung his head in shame.

He sighed. "I keep losing my temper with you when you have done no wrong and have only treated me with kindness. I am most sorry."

He held out his hand, fingers holding the chain of her necklace, to give it back and Jade timidly took it from him, her palm clasping the pendant. Her cautious movements made his face go soft with sorrow.

"It's ok. I'm s-sorry too." Jade mumbled.

"You have nothing to apologise for. I should have asked you if you knew the meaning of axestone, not have shouted at you."

"It's fine. No h-harm done."

"It is not fine. I brought dishonour on my family for treating a woman who has been naught but kind to me." Thorin stalked off. Jade got up, slipped her necklace back on and went after him.

"Thorin, it's ok. Seriously. If it was me in your place and you in mine, I probably would have reacted the same." She attempted to soothe him.

Thorin snarled. "It does not excuse the fact that I have treated you horribly."

"Th-Then, let's start again." Jade suggested.

Thorin drew his eyebrows together in confusion.

Jade grinned and curtsied with a flourish, laughing. "I'm Jade Littlefeather. At y-your service."

Thorin balked at her curtsey but finally understanding the meaning of her actions, he followed her suit. He bowed regally and replied with a small smile "Thorin Oakenshield. At your service."

"Well, Thorin." Jade put her hands on her hips, a playful look in her eyes. "Since w-we are perfect st-strangers, we have no q-quarrel with each other so I b-b-believe we are on good t-terms. Don't y-you agree?"

"I... believe so." Thorin's eyes seemed to be the colour of dusk in the firelight, a dark but oddly warm colour.

"I-If you want, I'll s-stop wearing my necklace. I d-don't want to o-offend you if- if jade is sacred t-to you. I k-know what it's like, h-having something p-precious desecrated b-by those who are n-not of your p-people. " She thought of the war bonnets of her people that non-Native American boys and girls wore to gain attention from their peers. They did not understand that the feathers on a war bonnets were the equivalent to a soldier's medal and they were desecrating her people's traditions.

"No, continue wearing it. If the stone is for luck, then you will need it."

"Very w-well then. Do you k-know when w-we will reach Ered Luin?"

"We will most likely reach it quite late tomorrow night."

"Then y-you best get s-some sleep. I'll take f-first watch."

The next morning they set off again, drawing nearer and nearer to Ered Luin. The earth was getting rockier and they were beginning to climb up the side of the mountains. They took care of Minty, regularly stopping for breaks and checking her hooves.

They paused for lunch and Thorin hunted some more to bring some food home for his family. Thorin explained they would stay at Ered Luin for a couple of days before going to the meeting with the Dwarf Lords.

"D-Does your family app-approve of this q-quest you're g-going on?" Jade asked as she came back from doing her 'business'. Thorin was sipping some water out of a water-skin. Minty was drinking by a nearby stream, coming from the mountain. As spring approached, the ice on the mountain melted and when Jade had dipped her hand in the stream, she had yelped and instantly pulled it back from the frigid water.

"My sister-sons are coming with me. My sister already severely disapproves my going but she is distraught from her son's decision to accompany me."

"And w-what of your s-spouse?"

Thorin spluttered, choking a little on his water. "I do not have a spouse! Durin's beard, I would have mentioned if I had a spouse by now."

"Oh, s-sorry. I just assumed-"

"No matter." He waved off her apology. "Though, it is flattering that you believed I had a spouse."

"How is i-it flattering th-that I b-believed you had a h-husband or a w-wife?"

Thorin gave Jade a surprised look. "Those who are lucky to be married are often considered the best of my race because Dwarves and Dwarrowdams are picky when picking a spouse. However, I am not married because I am considered undesirable by Dwarven standards."

Jade raised an eyebrow at that. There was no denying that Thorin was aesthetically pleasing. Thorin would have been very popular with some of the women and men back in her world. If he was an actor, there would be Tumblr blogs dedicated to Thorin, fanarts and fanfictions starring him and probably a few hundred thousand fangirls and fanboys talking about him.

Thorin continued, oblivious to Jade's musings. "Though if I were to marry, I would take a wife, though that is unlikely to happen because there are not many Dwarrowdams and even less willing to have me. I must admit I am surprised: I thought the race of Men did not approve of relationships between two people of the same gender. Most Dwarven clans are quite accepting of the love between two Dwarves, Durin's Folk especially. Males from my race who happen to love another male have faced discrimination from the race of Men."

"Y-You mean homosexuals? That's w-what we c-call people who are s-sexually attracted t-to their own g-gender. Homosexuality is a b-bit more accepted in m-my world, I guess." Jade sighed. "There's s-still some p-prejudice towards h-homosexuals and other s-sexualities, like bisexuality, asexuality, p-pansexuality, greysexuality, p-polysexuality, t-transsexuality and d-demisexuality. And don't g-g-get me started on th-the racism or the s-sexism."

"I thought you said your world was more advanced?"

"N-Not as m-much as it should b-be. T-There's still a l-lot of issues w-we need to ad-address. I think if p-people learned to t-treat others with th-the love and r-respect that everyone d-deserves, the world would be a b-better place." Jade shrugged, curling her arms around her kegs.

Thorin looked thoughtfully off into the distance, a slight breeze causing his hair to blow slightly away from his face.

"There is some wisdom in that." Thorin finally agreed.

The night soon began to fall upon them, the darkness stealing Jade's sight, despite the light beaming from the crescent moon.

Thorin could still see. His eyes were sharper than Jade's, due to being a Dwarf. Dwarven eyes, Thorin explained, looked for imperfections in their craft and they usually lived underground so to be able to see in the dark was part of their nature.

Two hours went by as they continued to climb up the mountain.

"The settlement in Ered Luin is not underground," Thorin told her as he led Minty onto the road that would lead them to the Gate. "We live outside instead for it is too dangerous to attempt to make a settlement underground. Only the Hall of Prayer and the Council rooms are underground."

Jade's eyebrows raised in surprise. "So th-the settlement is n-not, um, called Ered Luin?"

"Nay, it is not but it is generally referred to as by outsiders."

Soon, Jade could see lights and a large wall encasing the settlement, further protected by a moat.

The Gate was intimidating. Two stone pillars several times her height encased the drawbridge. On top of each of the pillars, a fire burned and this was protected from wind and rain by a small pavilion. A giant arrow head sat proudly on top of the pavilion's roof as decoration. A beam of stone ran across the top of the drawbridge and runes were etched in the beam of stone.

Jade wanted to ask what it said but didn't, worried that her question would cause offence if the runes were of one of the Dwarven languages.

A deep voice called as they approached. "Hail! Who goes there and on what business?"

Thorin shouted back. "Hail! I am Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain! I have come back to visit my sister and my sister-sons and attend a meeting! Open the Gate!"

A Dwarf's head popped over, his copper beard glimmering from the light of the two fires. "And whom is your companion and what is her business here?"

"Her name is Jade Littlefeather. She requires aid from an acquaintance of mine and I intend to help her. In the meantime, she is staying with my family and I."

The Dwarf nodded and disappeared. They could hear him yelling for the Gate to be opened.

As the drawbridge was lowered, Thorin said. "Welcome to my people's home."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys, I hoped you liked the chapter. To everyone who has read my story or favourited it or reviewed or followed me, I would like to say "HI! OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS ARE SO NICE! I LOVE YOU! YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY!". If you would like to see my drawing of the Gate of Ered Luin, go on to Archive Of Our Own and type in 'From The Ashes' by RedHeather. It will be on chapter four. I will warn you that I am no artist. <strong>

**Thank you and feel free to review! **


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